re: 2016 South Carolina Football Recruiting Feed

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4* OLB P.J. Blue of Park Crossing (Montgomery, AL) has committed to USC!

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Big pickup, this guy can really play. Botkin is doing work in AL.

4* DB Marlon Character commits to SC.

Auburn led earlier this week but his recent trip to Columbia tipped the scales in our favor.



Edit: dang it ... you guys are fast.

He actually was measured in at a legit 6'6" at a Nike SPARQ event this summer.217 lbs (which isn't unusual, plenty of guys drop weight during the summer,) and a 4.75 40 time.

https://www.hudl.com/athlete/3221910/jordan-smith

Check out Jordan Smith's highlights from his Jr year.
https://www.hudl.com/athlete/3221910/highlights/218570383/v2

I like this prospect a lot. He's got an excellent first step, and has solid anticipation of the snap (you can tell he prepared for those games and was reading the QB/OL.) He got the jump on them a lot. He's got a big wingspan, it's hard to run around him or evade once within a yard or two of him. He plays with power, needs to still work on his disengagement techniques (hand work.) He has the aggressiveness we need and chases the play/ball carrier. He plays smart though, lots of examples in there of him playing his assignment and making the play/stuffing the run. He appears to be well coached. I'd like to see more film on him.

We'll need to add 20-30 lbs of good weight on him in the next 2 years (which is very feasible.) His 40 time is also pretty good, but could be better, however for DE the 10 yard split is more important and I think he explodes off the line. Very good 1st step.

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His leaders are USC, UGA, and Clemson and reports are very good for USC, so we'll see....

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UGA is not in the picture, and hasn’t been for quite some time. He strongly opposes playing LB, so this is a South Carolina/Clemson battle. Freakish athlete, long arms, still growing. If he can hit the weight room hard and maintain his athleticism, he is going to be a monster off the edge. I think he is one of the more underrated prospects in this class. SCAR leads, but Dabo is one dirty mofo

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Brandon McIlwain is doing work on the trail.

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McIlwain has also been working 5* TE Issac Nauta (former fsu commit as of today.) Nauta has us as #2 before committing to fsu, so I think we might be back in this race. He already told Mangus this summer that he was planning on OV'ing here.

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McIlwain has also been working 5* TE Issac Nauta (former fsu commit as of today.) Nauta has us as #2 before committing to fsu, so I think we might be back in this race. He already told Mangus this summer that he was planning on OV'ing here.

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I wouldn't get my hopes up with Nauta. Only one time during his recruitment did he say USC was #2 behind FSU, and that was way back in April 2014 in an interview with Auburn's 247 guys like a week after he, Mark Fields, Shane Lemieux, and Paris Palmer all came down together and unofficially visited USC.

At that time, UGA was still using the old Mark Richt recruiting approach of not recruiting top in-state prospects early because they felt that those guys would still be there for UGA in the end. Once Pruitt became their DC he helped change up their recruiting philosophy a bit, and are now recruiting the GA blue chippers harder.

Back in December of 2014 Nauta had already admitted in another interview that UGA was then his #2, and has talked often about how he likes the TE position coaches for both FSU and UGA. He hasn't said a whole lot about Mangus in recent months.

Nauta may still hold true to his pledge of giving USC one of his OVs - he named Clemson as one of his top 5 schools back when he named USC his #2, and gave his reason as being due mostly out of loyalty to them for being the first big school to offer him. I think he'll give us that OV out of the same loyalty, but I wouldn't get my hopes up that we're still in his picture.

The bad thing now about his de-committing from FSU, is that now TE prospect Naseir Upshur - another prospect that USC was once high with - is now pushing back his commitment date to give FSU more of a look. Not that USC is still in great position with Upshur either these days. We just don't stay on the prospects during recruiting season like other programs do....

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Nauta has us as #2 before committing to fsu

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Not saying it's guaranteed, but I'll be shocked if he doesn't end up at UGA.

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Live Steam to 4* DE Jordan Smith's announcement.

https://www.11alive.com/videos/news/2014/05/30/5867887/

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He committed to SC!



https://247sports.com/Player/Jordan-Smith-38460

really liking the class that is coming together, very quality players with some potential sleepers in there. Wonder if we will take any oversigns. and if so who will be "processed" out.

i figured that much but there have been times that a guy will leave that will take us by surprise.