No matter how the rest of the season shakes out in the win/loss column, it’s a fact that South Carolina upgraded its roster significantly this past offseason and also a fact that the Gamecocks have multiple young and talented players who are set up to have long and successful careers in Columbia.
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That’s a direct result of recruiting.
That said, in the Southeastern Conference you cannot live off of one offseason of brilliant talent acquisition. Recruiting is a lot like playing cornerback. You have to flush the previous cycle like corners have to flush the previous play good or bad and just keep moving.
By examining recent Gamecock-related developments on the trail, you get the sense that Carolina is doing just that. Granted, South Carolina must close with several of its top targets, but the program as a whole has a lot of good momentum right now. Momentum exists in recruiting. It matters.
There is way more to it than just these two prospects that play the same position, but here are two examples.
Carolina is on the verge of completing the long flip of four-star receiver Malik Clark of Rock Hill. Clark recently de-committed from Florida State where he surprisingly pledged to this summer. All signs point to the ultra-athletic prospect staying home and opting for the Garnet and Black rather than the Garnet and Gold. It was mentioned here this summer that Clark was sort of a bellwether recruit for South Carolina as in-state talent is and always has been the lifeblood of this football program and receiver is such a big need, so it was disappointing (and inside the program shocking to be honest) when he opted for the Seminoles. Now, it looks like the Gamecocks are going to land him.
The other development? Elite receiver Donovan Murph (Irmo, S.C.) is one of two big-time receivers from the Columbia area that South Carolina wants and needs badly. Murph was a Class of 2026 prospect but announced this week that he plans to graduate from high school early and start his collegiate career in 2025. Most believed early on that Murph would either opt for Clemson or head out-of-state to a traditional brand with Colorado and Deion Sanders somewhat of a dark horse. For example, Murph was in Tuscaloosa, Ala., for the thriller between the Tide and Georgia last Saturday (a 41-34 Bama win) and has plans to visit Ohio State and others.
With all that said, following his announcement, signs now point to him staying home and playing for South Carolina. Anna Adams of 247Sports put in a Crystal Ball prediction for the Gamecocks this week. Other national analysts on other networks like Steve Wiltfong of on3 (aka The Oracle) have followed. Internally, there is confidence. That is quite a turn of events as South Carolina is in great shape for the other elite receiver from Columbia, Jordan Gidron of Ridge View, was well.
Considering Mazeo Bennett, a true freshman, currently is having a nice season and is the Gamecocks’ leading receiver, there are great possibilities in the future at this position.
That’s just one set of examples, though. Check out the visitors list for the Ole Miss game for more.
So what are the factors that have led to this? Frankly, Carolina did hit sort of a rough patch recruiting-wise during the summer for a number of reasons, including changing personnel directors midstream. That’s difficult because of the relationships that are built through what is now in many cases a 24-month process when it comes to non-transfer portal talent.
But it appears South Carolina is going to be just fine and here are five reasons why.
1- The new guy has put in some serious work
It cannot be overstated what type of job Darren Uscher has done since replacing Taylor Edwards in July. Edwards obviously was outstanding during his tenure at South Carolina. One can look at the current roster and know that is obvious. It was not going to be easy to replace him, but head coach Shane Beamer made a fantastic move bringing Uscher, a Gamecock alum, to town from Oregon.
Uscher has a passion for South Carolina, is organized and is a tireless worker. The game visitors lists, which have been outstanding, alone will tell you that he and his staff have put in the work. Those visits are important. The Gamecocks may not have a ton of history to sell and may not have as full of a trophy case as some other programs, but the one thing South Carolina through the years has sold is a loyal and passionate fanbase and a heck of an environment at home games. So it’s critical to get recruits in for games. South Carolina had a Noon kickoff against LSU with College Gameday getting cranked up at 9 a.m. local time. The Gamecocks had recruits in the central time zone that had games the night before drive through three states to make it in. That doesn’t happen for programs that don’t have great leadership in their recruiting department.
Strategically, it is always smart to stick with players who commit to other programs that you were in good shape with before they made their decision. The obvious reason is that in many cases you can flip them in the end. Even though signing day comes a lot earlier than it used to, it is still a marathon. There also is always a chance that the program a player commits to experiences damaging turmoil during the season. Every program experiences some sort of adversity during the year, even the great ones. But there is a limit to it before it can start to impact recruiting. In this sport, especially these days. This holds true in particular to in-state talent. South Carolina would not have Bennett and would not have had Alshon Jeffery, Devonte Holloman or D.J. Swearinger back in the day if the Gamecocks just gave up after a prospect committed elsewhere.
A secondary reason, of course, is the transfer portal. There’s always a chance a player gets to another program and it does not work out. Keeping relationships in tact matter. Uscher leads the way for the recruiting efforts, so he deserves credit for that.
Throw in the fact that even though he’s an alum, he’s new to doing this particular job at Carolina and it is even more impressive. He did not have a ton of time to adjust. It was a short runway before take off and and he’s in the air and thriving back at the program he loves. There’s nothing about college football that makes me happier than to see someone back at his school doing well.
2- The NIL situation is stable and competitive
The days of South Carolina not having any Name, Image and Likeness resources are over. That’s one of the reasons it was absolutely hilarious to see some on social media openly speculating about elite true freshman Dylan Stewart jumping in the transfer portal to “get paid” after two games. Let’s be clear, though, that these days you never guarantee anything when it comes to the portal with anybody, but Stewart is here for a reason and it’s not like Carolina does not produce first-round draft picks and play in the best football conference in America. I think sometimes the social-media driven “media” (not all of them, mind you) is obsessed with the pecking order in this sport in their heads because of the constant hype and they just assume that the Gamecocks are what they very insultingly refer to as a poverty program.
Inaccurate.
Without providing specific numbers or giving too many details that I cannot give, I will tell you I checked with multiple contacts around the country and South Carolina’s NIL budget for 2025 in the sport of football is going to be within a few dollars of Missouri and what Ole Miss currently does through it’s outstanding collective. I can also tell you based on information from contacts and doing some math based on publicly-available information that the Gamecocks budget will be similar to what Georgia has had the last few years. Those same Georgia contacts, though, were very clear that Kirby Smart and his staff get somewhat of a UGA discount because of the success of their program. The National Championships matter without question, but go take a gander at the Bulldogs’ NFL Draft numbers. That is the most important selling point there.
So why the sudden good fortune with NIL? There are several factors.
First, you may not have seen a huge press release about it, but outgoing athletics director Ray Tanner and his staff deserve a ton of credit for some restructuring internally, primarily moving the Gamecock Club to a private 501c3, and also some serious fundraising. This is one factor that has allowed for a better situation overall because there is more flexibility when it comes to fundraising and things of that nature within the current rules.
Second, give a tip of the cap to the folks across the street from campus at the State House for passing a state law that allows the in-state programs to compete in the NIL space at the highest level. Most states that care about football have passed similar laws with Missouri leading the way. South Carolina’s law is not an exact copy of the Show Me State’s, but it works well.
Finally, my colleagues at Garnet Trust continue to grind every single day to build a robust NIL situation at Carolina. Jeremy Smith and Mark Bonnoitt have a great passion for achieving excellence in the space and in many ways have been and continue to be hitting a moving target so to speak with the constant changes concerning NIL and college football player compensation. They deserve a ton of credit for weathering several storms and working in collaboration with the university to optimize the situation at Carolina. Garnet Trust continues to serve student athletes, pursue creative revenue streams and facilitate deals with players at a high level. It also won’t be long before Garnet Trust announces new membership levels and benefits for the loyal Gamecock fans that are the heart and soul of the NIL transformation at South Carolina.
On a side note as this piece is about football, it is not just limited to football. The University of South Carolina in athletics has expectations across the board similar to a place like Ohio State or Florida. Gamecock fans do not accept long stretches of losing in men’s basketball and they certainly do not accept it when it comes to the treasured baseball program. Women’s basketball is at the top of the mountain right now, but the expectations are that they will remain for a long time. Those sports all have seen the NIL budget increase significantly. Now does men’s hoops have as many resources NIL-wise as Arkansas provided John Calipari? No, but it’s enough. Likewise in baseball, the budget isn’t Texas A&M level, but it’s increased close to 500 percent since the now-defunct Carolina Rise collective that we started in 2022 provided the first round of NIL money to that program.
There are a ton of negative opinions about NIL and player compensation in college sports and I personally share many of them when talking about the big picture across the country. But it’s simply a fact of life and the price of success in college athletics. At South Carolina, it is getting done the right way. It will be sustainable with multiple revenue streams and there is still a lot of growing to do. Make no mistake, though, it’s highly-competitive when it comes to resources and has come millions of miles (or for a better word, dollars) since NIL became a thing.
3- The LSU loss ripped the soul out of many, but when it comes to recruiting…
I have been mentioning this here for well more than a decade and it has taken some time for folks to buy into the notion, but there are believers now based on results- individual game wins and losses don’t resonate with recruits positively or negatively. It’s all about the gameday environment and atmosphere.
It’s my belief that Nyck Harbor officially visiting for a 48-7 loss to Georgia in 2022 and then ultimately signing with the Gamecocks was the outcome most needed to buy into this.
Gamecock fans by the thousands filled Gamecock Park for College Gameday and the stadium was rocking and loud even though it was an early kickoff. It also was an exciting, down-to-the-wire contest with an engaged packed house for 60 minutes of football. That matters. High-level recruits are typically confident people. I would go so far as to say you may not want them if they are not. They all believe they will be the difference in that loss when they get to campus.
That environment for that game provided a jolt to the recruiting efforts short term. The hope is that it pays off long term and it looks like it will.
4- The Gamecocks are winning and relevant
Carolina got through September 3-1, which is the best start of the Beamer era and most of the country outside of the state of Louisiana believes the Gamecocks should be 4-0 right now. That’s the ultimate cure for any sort of recruiting struggles, but many times it pays off the following recruiting cycle because of so many early decisions.
While the play on the field so far certainly will boost the 2026 efforts, this season has been unique with the number of flip candidates in the fold for 2025 and a few other situations with late risers and position needs, so if Carolina can continue to play well and win games, it could pay off over two cycles.
Since the 2014 season and ultimately the end of the Steve Spurrier era, this program has struggled with national relevance. Part of that has been the losing seasons and struggles which reinforced the notion (that I believe will be proven to be incorrect) that only Spurrier could win at Carolina. That made the Gamecocks a bit of an afterthought. There’s a reason Gameday had not been to Columbia in a decade.
Granted, under Beamer, South Carolina got back in the spotlight for two magical weeks around Thanksgiving in 2022 by knocking Tennessee and Clemson out of the College Football Playoff. That lasted through big time TV ratings in hard-to-swallow but thrilling 45-38 loss in the Gator Bowl, through the second signing day where Carolina hogged the national spotlight by signing Harbor, the highest-rated player available and through an optimistic offseason that ended with Gameday setting up in Charlotte for the opener against North Carolina last year. There’s a reason the Gamecocks got off to such a great start with the 2024 class (and kept it in tact) that winter.
Then a 31-17 loss to the Tar Heels started a 5-7 campaign and in an example of the cruelty of this sport when it comes to brand and history, Carolina was cast back into the wilderness perception-wise. Fair or unfair, it was reality.
A 31-6 win at Kentucky the second week of the season, along with the following week’s happenings has moved the Gamecocks out of the wilderness again. The next three games provide more opportunities to continue to move that way and sustain it.
Also, while I am a sucker for college football nostalgia and miss the heck out of the SEC Game of the Week at 3:30 on CBS, the new SEC television deal has provided loads more exposure for every SEC program including South Carolina. The Gamecocks kick off in the 3:30 slot Saturday on ESPN, but they have already played two games on a major network (ABC) and have a third against Alabama in Tuscaloosa forthcoming next weekend. The network games go across the country and reach more households. I can’t remember a season where the Gamecocks played half of their games on ABC/CBS/NBC/FOX (they have never played on FOX) but it is possible this year. There’s another avenue toward relevance. The more people across the country watch your team, the more familiar they are with your players and program and the more than helps recruiting.
5- The head coach is a heck of a recruiter and always has been
Ask any assistant college football coach that embraces recruiting what his worst nightmare professionally is and it’s a head coach that is disinterested in recruiting. That makes the sell amazingly hard because you have other head coaches who love to recruit and sometimes, feelings get hurt as players and parents do not feel the love.
Even Spurrier had to work at it when he was at South Carolina with certain prospects and times have changed dramatically. These days, you have great ball coaches like Dan Mullen getting fired because of an old school recruiting approach. Now, was that the right move by Florida? I’d say emphatically no. But that’s a different debate.
Beamer embraces recruiting and is outstanding at developing relationships. That’s in general, but particularly when it comes to recruits. His genuine passion for his program resonates with players and parents. You hear it all the time how “real” Beamer and his coaches are. In a world full of fake crap that means nothing but is somehow emphasized beyond belief (and that’s true in college football as well), it is refreshing. It may eat the skin off of the face of some passionate fans when Beamer is positive in a press conference after a loss or won’t throw his coaches or players under the bus, and everybody understands that, but it is gold when it comes to recruiting.
Young people these days do not fall for a show and sell because they see it every day in their lives. They are starving for something real even if they do not necessarily communicate it. They are wired differently primarily because they have been “wired” since they have been on the planet, unlike my generation (Gen X) that had a long period of their lives where they had to seek knowledge somewhere other than their cell phones. That’s both a good thing and a bad thing when you are talking about society in general, but as far as Beamer’s approach to college football recruiting, being real is gold.
BOTTOM LINE
South Carolina is expected to close on some targets in the near term and there is no doubt that closing time will be upon the Gamecocks shorty with the December signing day coming. While this will always be a results-based business dependent upon outcomes, programs have to get in position to make some noise on the recruiting trail before they can.
And the Gamecocks are in position.
