re: Baseball Recruiting Discussion

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So here's the behind the scenes deal on Hopkins ... He was committed to College of Charleston at one point but thought he could be an SEC or ACC type of player, so he decommitted and tried to gain some interest from South Carolina and Clemson. He wanted to stay in state to play college baseball.

This was a little bit like a football recruit for me. I was getting a bunch of conflicting information about him from different people around him. I would have bet you a dollar to a donut on Monday that he would be a Clemson Tiger this Saturday. I, obviously, was wrong.

South Carolina and Clemson both went to see him play last Monday. He didn't have an offer from either school and it was basically an audition for him to get an offer. Clemson informed his high school coach that they were going to offer him this weekend if he'd come up for the game. South Carolina decided on Wednesday to offer. Hopkins was at South Carolina for Max Schrock's walk-off and the walk-off wins against Tennessee. The atmosphere and love for the baseball program won him over and that played a role in wanting to come to South Carolina.

As a player, South Carolina has won a lot of games with players like him. I'd say right now that his best attribute is his speed. He's not a burner, but he typically reads the game well and is quick. His bat pretty good as well and has gotten a lot better since I saw him this summer. I have some reservations about him defensively and think he's a corner outfielder kind of guy right now. I'm high on his athleticism though. I'm high on his toughness. He grinds.

Hopkins, 2016 baseball commitment Sawyer Bridges and 2015 offensive lineman Zack Bailey are a trio of best friends. It wouldn't surprise me if Hopkins is in Bailey's ear a good bit about joining him at South Carolina. He's got about the same amount of influence as Bridges does - maybe not quite as much.

I like the pickup for South Carolina. I'm not going to say Hopkins is a world beater right now but he has a ton of upside. I like the way his game is progressing in the times I've seen him. Nice work by Sammy Esposito on keeping Hopkins close and making him feel good while he made the decision on whether or not to offer. We'll see how it plays out but I like the move.

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