Sumter – The struggles on the South Carolina football team’s offensive line in the just completed season were well-chronicled. Well, at least on paper, it appears that help is on the way.
That’s because USC head coach Shane Beamer finally got to sign the three instate offensive linemen he’s had committed for months in Dillon High School’s Josiah Thompson, Woodland’s Kam Pringle and Greenville’s Blake Franks -- ;on Wednesday on the first day of the early signing period.
"When I got hired three years ago, those three guys got put on my radar pretty quickly," Beamer said during his signing day press conference. "A lot of schools were trying to get them not to come to South Carolina up until today, and all those guys stayed strong. A big part of that was this class and how close they are and how connected they became, which is really cool."
Thompson, who is 6-foot-6-inches tall and weighs 280 pounds, is a 5-star recruit regarded as the No. 1 prospect in the state and by some as the No. 1 offensive tackle in the country. The 6-7, 370-pound Pringle is a 4-star recruit while the 6-5, 345-pound Franks is a 3-star recruit.
They were three of the five South Carolinians in the Gamecocks’ 16-man class. The other two are wide receiver Mazeo Bennett, Franks’ teammate at Greenville, and West Florence defensive back Kelvin Hunter.
Clemson had one in-state signee in Daniel offensive lineman Watson Young. Coastal Carolina, the state’s other Football Bowl Subdivision school, signed one in-state player as well, defensive end/outside linebacker Jayden Bryant of Clover. Greenville offensive lineman Julius Tate is committed to the Chanticleers, but did not sign on Wednesday.
At least 20 other FBS schools signed Palmetto State athletes on Wednesday. That includes six Atlantic Coast Conference schools and two Southeastern Conference schools. Appalachian State and East Carolina, two North Carolina Group of 5 programs, both plucked four players from their Sandlapper neighbor.
WEDNESDAY SIGNEES
FBS
CLEMSON
Watson Young, OL, Daniel
SOUTH CAROLINA
Josiah Thompson, OL, Dillon
Kam Pringle, OL, Woodland
Blake Franks, OL, Greenville
Mazeo Bennett, WR, Greenville
Kelvin Hunter, DB, West Florence
COASTAL CAROLINA
Jayden Bryant DE/OLB Clover
APPALACHIAN STATE
Dylan Barbery, OL, Airport
JT Sowell, OL, Gray Collegiate
Tyshawn Sanders, DB, Marion
Matthew Wilson, QB, Rock Hill
BOSTON COLLEGE
Turbo Richard, RB, Northwestern
BUFFALO
Jacari Bennett, DE/LB, J.L. Mann
CENTRAL FLORIDA
Marcus Downs, DL, Riverside
CINCINNATI
Zay Johnson, CB, Clinton
EAST CAROLINA
Yannick Smith, WR, Summerville
Sam Priddy, DL, North Charleston
Shaikh Thompson, DL, Hilton Head Island
Jyron Waiters, WR, Wilson
FLORIDA STATE
Timir Hickman-Collins, LB, Indian Land
GEORGIA TECH
Troy Stevenson, DB, Philip Simmons
Jordan Boyd, DL, Silver Bluff
KENTUCKY
Quay’sheed Scott, DB, Marion
LIBERTY
Seneca Moore, LB, Crestwood
MEMPHIS
Elijah Williams, OL, Irmo
MIAMI (OHIO)
Jayden Fuller, DL, Silver Bluff
NORTH CAROLINA STATE
Jimmar Boston, WR, Westside
Zachary Christian, WR, Calhoun County
NORTHWESTERN
Dashun Reeder, RB, Christ Church
OKLAHMONA STATE
Jaden Allen-Hendrix, RB, Irmo
OLD DOMINION
Dirrick Goodman, LB, South Florence
Lorenzo-McFadden-Pressley, DL, Lake City
TENNESSEE
Braylon Staley, WR, Strom Thurmond
VIRGINIA
Myles Brown, LB, Ridge View
WAKE FOREST
Josh Harrison, DL, Christ Church
WEST VIRGINIA
Traevon Dunbar, RB, Midland Valley
FCS
CHARLESTON SOUTHERN
Knai Cook, DB, Byrnes
Rashawn Cunningham, WR, Chapman
Jayden Wilson-Abrams, DL, Greenville
Christian Echols, OL, Silver Bluff
Justin Joe, OL, South Florence
Hasan Lee Jr. TE, White Knoll
CHATTANOOGA
Josh Williams, WR, Westside
FURMAN
Steven O’Dell, OL, Broome
Bruce Knauber, DT, Greenville
Chase Gregorek, OL, T.L. Hanna
MERCER
Khalil Moody, DB, Crestwood
NORTH CAROLINA A&T
Cortez Lane, RB, Cardinal Newman
NORTH CAROLINA CENTRAL
Javion Martin, QB, Crestwood
THE CITADEL
Cam Sutton, TE, Lexington
James Brockington, DL, Kingstree
Marquez Davenport, DB, Calhoun County
Brady Pickett, OL, Myrtle Beach
All Rights Reserved | The High School Sports Report 1986-2021