South Carolina Headed For 50 Major College Signees From 2027 Class, 42 On Board As Of August 30th
Junior two sport athlete, Beau Hite (6-1, 170) starting strong for 2026 in two games 36 of 54 passing for 607 yards and 6 TDs.
By Billy G. Baker
Publisher
Moncks Corner—The transfer portal has not reduced the number of major college football offers extended to the 2027 Class of football prospects in the state of the South Carolina, but it has affected many other states in the Southeast, and across the nation. For sure.
“The High School Sports Report” has been tracking major college football scholarships offered in the Palmetto State very closely since the publication created “The HSSR Top 100 Program” back in 1987. The truth of the matter is that our numbers, as a state, have slightly increased since the portal hit full stride around four years ago.
Before we go any further, we always pause to thank Mark Grainger and the fine folks at Modern Turf in Irmo and Rembert for their sponsorship of this ever-popular recruiting page that is read by well over 300 colleges, large and small across the nation.
There was a very unusual recruiting tactic used by the University of South Carolina baseball program that paid off for them in early August. Emerald High head football coach Tad Dubose tells the HSSR his Vikings football team practiced each morning at 6 a.m.
He has a talented junior QB by the name of Beau Hite (6-1, 170) who is quite a two-sport star in both baseball and football. In fact, Perfect Games considered Hite to be the number one shortstop in the state of South Carolina. They also rate him among the best defensive shortstops for his age and grade in the nation.
The HSSR just also happens to rate Hite as the top 2028 QB prospect in the state of South Carolina and we have been following the accomplishments of Hite on athletic fields very closely for the past two years. Coach Dubose tells the story like this: “There we are at 6 a.m. starting football practice when a car load of South Carolina college baseball coaches walks up to our practice field, and they start watching Beau in football drills for two hours with keen interest,” said Coach Dubose. “I had never seen such interest from a group of college baseball coaches watching a kid throw a football and working out as a football player. It takes long for the news to travel all over town either.”
Just because Hite would commit to the Gamecocks in baseball, a couple days later, is no reason for the HSSR to remove him from our 2028 football prospect list. The tactic certainly proved what one college baseball program was willing to do to show Hite some love and attention. It is going to be interesting to see if the football people across the nation quit recruiting Hite or not. We think not from our end.
As of August, 29th there are 42 young men in the 2027 Class of football players from the state of South Carolina committed to major colleges. There are 138 major colleges who make up the FBS highest division of college football.
Here is the break- down: Clemson (4), East Carolina (4), South Carolina (3), Coastal Carolina (3), UNC (2), James Madison (2), App State (2), Liberty (2), Rutgers (2), UNC-Charlotte (2), LSU (1), Alabama (1), Georgia (1), Colorado (1), Marshall (1), Wake Forest (1), Delaware (1), Syracuse (1), Auburn (1), Boston College (1), Virginia (1), Miami (1), NC State (1), Army (1), Navy (1), Missouri State (1).
Let’s have a chat with several top prospects: The HSSR No.11 2027 prospect is Lucy Beckham OL and Georgia commit Ty Johnson (6-5, 300). An enormous tackle with an 81.75-inch wingspan, Johnson said he’s always looked toward Georgia ever since he can remember.
“I grew up a Georgia fan, those roots were always in me, he said. “I used to go to Georgia football camps growing up and I think it’s going to be a little different relationship as I’ll be playing for them next year.”
Line play appeals to Johnson because he knows it’s critical for a team’s success.
“I think offensive line is sometimes an overlooked position but I think it’s knowing that you’re the backbone of the team,” he said. “It’s pretty awesome and it’s pretty fun putting people in the dirt.”
Another South Carolina commit is Ridge View’s James Ross (6-5, 290) who is 18th on the 2027 list. Ross said he was impressed with the Gamecocks coaching staff enough to say yes for 2027.
“I liked (offensive line) coach Clem (Randy Clements) and Coach (Jason) Smith. I like their relationship with each other, I like how they talked to their players and how they respond to them,” Ross said. “It’s a good family between the players and coaches. They want to see me playing Center, but they also want me to be able to play the other positions.”
At number two on the list is Irmo DE and Miami commit Jaiden Bryant (6-4, 246). Bryant, a 5-star recruit, originally committed to LSU in January but flipped to the Hurricanes in June.
A four-year starter on the line, Bryant helped lead the Yellow Jackets to back-to-back appearances in the AAAAA Division 2 state championship in his sophomore and junior years. As a sophomore edge rusher, he notched 85 tackles, 10 for loss and an incredible 14.5 sacks in 15 games. The next year he posted 75 tackles, 16 for loss and 10 sacks.
This year Bryant is focused on his intensity at the line as well as his leadership role on the team.
“I’ve grown mentally,” Bryant said at practice last week. “I’ve always been strong and fast, but I had to be mentally tough. To be able to lead guys in tough situations, it’s hard to calm a whole team down by yourself, I have to prepare for that and college. It’s a big mental thing.”
Bryant added that both his and his team’s goal is to finally notch a win in the final game and win a state championship.
“We take it one week at a time, our goal is to get the championship ring and get it over with.”
Ninth on the list is Dutch Fork lineman and Clemson commit Jaden Wuerth (6-2, 270). He committed to the Tigers in April.
“Clemson is just different," Wuerth said on his commitment. "Wouldn't want to be anywhere else, and I truly believe Clemson is going to take me where I want to go."
Wuerth, like Bryant, has been one of the most sought-after line players, receiving 19 offers from NCAA Division I schools, including Duke, Georgia Tech, Maryland, Miami, and the Tigers.
A relative newcomer to Dutch Fork, Wuerth notched 147 tackles, 38 for loss, and 13 sacks in his sophomore year at Aquinas, Ga. He transferred to the Silver Foxes before his junior year and helped the team win its fourth straight AAAAA Division I state championship in 2025. His stat line for the season was 62 tackles, 12 for loss, four sacks and three caused fumbles. With his college future set, Wuerth looks to make the most of his senior year and maybe earn a second state title.
“We definitely look to the championship game,” Wuerth said. “The expectation here is to win championships, but I think also the expectation is to win practice every day. If we’re not winning practice every day, we’re not winning on Fridays, and it doesn’t mean anything.”
Another Clemson commit, South Pointe lineman Seth Tillman (6-4, 300) is 15th. Tillman had 61 tackles, 27 for loss, 12 quarterback hurries and 8.5 sacks to help the Stallions win the AAAA state championship in December.
Tillman said that the team is purposely forgetting the state title win, the team’s eighth in South Pointe’s history since the school opened in 2005.
“We're keeping our head forward, acting like we lost it so we're trying to get another one even though we knew we won,” Tillman said in early August. “We're still trying to get another one.”
Next month we take a look at some HSSR 2028 prospects from the state of South Carolina.
