South Carolina football is entering a crucial stretch of the 2024 recruiting calendar, with at least nine targets announcing their college decisions between July 20th and August 3rd. Shane Beamer and his coaching staff are well-positioned to land a few key recruits.
On Saturday, the first two of these targets, 4-star EDGE Bryce Davis from Greensboro, North Carolina, and 4-star offensive lineman Cortez Smith from Lilburn, Georgia, made their commitments public.
Davis chose to commit to Dabo Swinney’s Clemson program, despite being heavily courted by South Carolina, Georgia, and Duke. Although Georgia was the favorite for much of Davis’ recruitment, recent strong pushes from South Carolina, Clemson, and Duke shifted the momentum, with Clemson ultimately securing his pledge.
Smith’s recruitment was more straightforward. With finalists including South Carolina, Georgia, Georgia Tech, and Miami, he was long considered a heavy lean towards the in-state Bulldogs. Despite South Carolina giving him something to think about, he committed to Georgia on Saturday.
Upcoming announcements from major South Carolina targets include 4-star safety Lagonza Hayward, 5-star EDGE Jared Smith, 4-star offensive linemen Juan Gaston and Jaylen Gilchrist, 4-star safety Kendall Daniels, and 4-star wide receiver Malik Clark. In each case, South Carolina is competing against at least one perennial powerhouse, but the Gamecocks are in a favorable position to secure commitments from at least a couple of these recruits.
Currently, South Carolina’s recruiting class is ranked 26th by On3 and 28th by 247Sports. These rankings could significantly improve in the coming weeks if the Gamecocks are successful in landing their top targets.
