Evaluating South Carolina’s Recruiting in North Carolina
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Here at Prep Redzone, we seek to cover the entire state of North Carolina, scouting Division III and NAIA prospects the same way we scout Power Four stars. While we primarily operate as a scouting service, we also keep an ear to the ground on the recruiting front.
Whenever we talk about specific colleges, we're typically mentioning offers or potential offers. But last week, one out-of-state program grabbed headlines in North Carolina. Last week, the South Carolina Gamecocks landed three players from North Carolina, so here, we're looking at their recruiting in the Tar Heel State.
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What are the South Carolina Gamecocks Getting in their 2027 Commits?
South Carolina is on a tear to start July, landing four commits, including three from the Tar Heel State. The state of North Carolina is playing a bigger role every cycle for the Gamecocks, who are increasingly prioritizing players from their northern border. We've followed most of these players for several years. Here's what the Gamecocks are getting from each of their in-state recruits.
Archer is a massive defensive tackle, not just in weight, but also in height and length. He's listed as a nose tackle, but often flexes out to 3-technique, where I see him playing at the next level. His game reminds me a lot of former Gamecock Javon Kinlaw, in that he's not just a big, strong body, but he knows how to use his specific skill set to his advantage. He's the rare run defender who can both eat a double team and still reach running backs cutting through adjacent holes. He's a high-motor pass rusher with plenty of room to grow with his technique in that area of his game. That should excite Gamecocks fans, as they're getting a high-floor run defender with untapped pass-rushing potential.
Highlights
Dobson is a lab-built corner with some of the smoothest hips and ankle flexibility you'll find anywhere. He's the rare blend of natural athleticism and refined technique. That athleticism plays out in the kick return game, and he also had success as a receiver last season. The natural ball skills translate, and because he's so explosive, he's able to break on balls most guys can't dream of reaching. Because his acceleration out of breaks and transitions is so good, he's able to stay in his backpedal longer with eyes on the quarterback. That's led to some plays as a tackler and as a corner on another receiver that others wouldn't make because their backs would be to the quarterback.
Highlights
While slightly undersized for your prototypical SEC safety, Jones is as smooth an athlete as you'll find. While he plays safety, that isn't his first, or even most natural position, and I envision him playing in the slot at the next level. South Carolina sees him as a versatile chess piece to deploy defensively, and he's likely an early contributor on special teams, perhaps as a kick returner or a gunner on the punt team. He's a sure tackler, especially for his size, but the thing that will turn heads is his natural movement in the secondary and elite closing speed, whether he's getting to ball carriers or passes.
Highlights
Broadie doesn't look like your typical high-upside edge rusher. He's not 6-foot-5 or 250 pounds, but he's twitchy, compact, and strong. He has a bigger wingspan than his height would suggest, and he uses that length to keep tackles off his body. He can bend around the edge or get skinny when shooting gaps, and he's one of the best I've seen at avoiding being squared up by tackles. He has excellent hand usage and a strong motor, with several of his sacks coming on chase downs from the back side. You rarely see guys use four-point stances anymore, especially off the edge, but he uses it to coil and strike first. He's bigger and stronger this offseason, so don't be surprised if you see an uptick in his sack production.
Highlights
What's Next For South Carolina in the State of North Carolina?
The Gamecocks planned to take a smaller 2027 class, but there's a chance they're not done in the Tar Heel State. The Gamecocks have kept up communication with elite linebacker recruit
AJ Randle
AJ
Randle
6'2" | 212 lbs | LB
Garner | 2027
State
NC
out of Garner. He's an explosive, aggressive linebacker with safety experience and elite coverage skills.
The Gamecocks had some whiffs in the Tar Heel state, but they clearly prioritized North Carolina in this cycle, making the final group for half a dozen other prospects.
In the 2028 class, look out for another strong push. There's mutual interest between the Gamecocks and at least five of our Top 10. They've been especially active in a good defensive line class.
South Carolina has been getting in early. The Gamecocks were the first to offer new Hough transfer defensive lineman
Cory Cunningham
Cory
Cunningham
6'4" | 280 lbs | DL/EDGE
William A. Hough | 2028
State
NC
. They were also among the earliest schools to offer E.E. Smith edge rusher
Cassell Cruickshank
Cassell
Cruickshank
6'6" | 220 lbs | EDGE
E.E. Smith | 2028
State
NC
, Shelby edge rusher
Tyson Williams
Tyson
Williams
6'5" | 235 lbs | EDGE
Shelby | 2028
State
NC
, and Chambers defensive lineman
Antonio Flowers
Antonio
Flowers
6'3" | 270 lbs | DL
Chambers | 2028
State
NC
.
They've also offered a few lower-ranked, high-upside prospects who haven't yet blown up on the trail. Trinity Christian defensive linemen Baganley Donzo Baganley Donzo 6'5" | 235 lbs | EDGE Trinity Christian | 2028 State NC and Mohamed Donzo Mohamed Donzo 6'5" | 220 lbs | EDGE Trinity Christian | 2028 State NC are both 6-foot-5 edge rushers who have plenty of room to progress as players.
Finally, while the Gamecocks haven't dispensed many offers to the 2029 class, they've done some legwork. They were the first Power Four offer for Mallard Creek defensive lineman Kaiden Okam Kaiden Okam 6'4" | 250 lbs | DL Mallard Creek | 2029 State NC and the first overall to offer Corvian Community defensive tackle Luke Hampton Luke Hampton 6'3" | 255 lbs | DL Corvian Community | 2029 State NC . North Carolina is producing in the trenches, and the Gamecocks are leading the way in identifying and targeting that talent.
It's early, but unless there's a staff change in Columbia, we expect the Gamecocks to continue to be among the most active—and most successful—in North Carolina.
This state is big, and it's easy to miss something, especially at this time of year. Want to keep us updated on your recruitment? Tag and/or DM me on Twitter/X (@whelms21) to make sure I know what's going on.
