The South Carolina Gamecocks are looking to add the son of one of their biggest defensive stars in school history to the 2029 recruiting class. The Gamecocks are one of several schools recruiting safety Captain Munnerlyn Jr., who is a name South Carolina fans are likely quite familiar with.
Munnerlyn Jr.'s father played at South Carolina from 2006-2008, under head coach Steve Spurrier. His son is being raised where he grew up, in Mobile, Ala. He plays high school football out of Williamson High School in Mobile.
Although he is not yet rated by 247Sports, Rivals/On3 has him as the No. 10 overall player nationally, and the No.1 player both at safety and out of his home state of Alabama.
Per Rivals' Director of Scouting and Rankings Charles Power, the younger Munnerlyn plays with "noticeable instincts and physicality” and is a “plus athlete.”
So it should come as no surprise that several big-time schools are already recruiting Munnerlyn. He has offers from the likes of Alabama, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, LSU, Miami, Oklahoma, Ole Miss, Oregon, Tennessee and Texas A&M, to name a few.
Rivals named him an All-American after a strong freshman season at Williamson. According to MaxPreps, he accounted for 63 total tackles with 34 solo stops, including five for loss. He had three sacks and two interceptions.
He was offered by South Carolina in January.
“He always wants to show me that he’s going to be better than me,” Munnerlyn said of his son via The State newspaper after he was offered. “ I wouldn’t think he would shy away from the University of South Carolina because I went there. I think it is probably more enticing.”
As for South Carolina's chances at landing the younger Munnerlyn, he will reportedly unofficially visit the Gamecocks during a game this fall, per Rivals' Steve Wiltfong. But a date has not been set just yet. But there is a bigger connection at play here, too. Gamecock head coach Shane Beamer was on South Carolina's staff during Munnerlyn's last two seasons in Columbia in 2007 and 2008.
“I feel like if South Carolina do stay on him — with me being right down the street, and if I get opportunity to (coach him) — it would be a no-brainer, to me," Munnerlyn continued via The State. They definitely have a shot at him.”
Across Munnerlynn's father's three seasons with the Gamecocks, he finished with 127 total tackles with five interceptions, including two sacks and two forced fumbles. He went on to be drafted in the seventh round of the 2009 NFL Draft, selected by the Carolina Panthers, who took him 216th overall.
He went on to enjoy a 10-year NFL career, with Carolina and the Minnesota Vikings from 2014-2016. He spent seven seasons with the Panthers across two stints, from 2009-2013 and then ending his career in Carolina from 2017-18. In 2013, he led the league with two interceptions returned for touchdowns. He finished his NFL career having played in 154 games, accounting for 12 interceptions with five forced fumbles, nine takeaways recovered and 10 sacks.
While it's obviously quite early in the 2029 recruiting cycle, it sounds like the Gamecocks are in a great spot to keep the Munnerlyn legacy going in garnet and black.
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