South Carolina’s new head coach Shane Beamer and his team had to make a decision on how to fill the 2021 recruiting class. They could scour the country for potential high school candidates or they could access the transfer portal and fill it out this way.
They chose to follow the transfer route.
That was smart when you consider the reality of this recruitment cycle from the COVID era. Few visits were made until things closed last March. Coaches could not hit the road. Potential customers were unable to visit the campus. Personal assessment was completely out of the window, not only for college programs, but also for recruiting analysts who do ratings across the country. There was also no Elite 11, where defenders competed against other defenders. The opening, which is a camp-like setup that allows the best customers across the country to test things like the 40-yard dash and compete 7-on-7 and one-on-one, was canceled along with Nike Camps. There was no Adidas (formerly Army) All-American Bowl or Under Armor All-American Game.
In addition, many states haven’t even played football at school this season.
Simply put, many of the key methods used in a given recruitment cycle to assess high school talent did not exist in this cycle. There hasn’t been a cycle like this before and I hope that 2022 and beyond will return to normal.
In addition, once you have passed the initial subscription period, it has become even more of a crapshoot. Therefore, it is much less risky if you choose players a little older and with a more proven body of work. This is exactly what Carolina did, as nine of the 11 additions to the Gamecocks 2021 recruitment class during the Beamer era were transfers (seven from the portal, two from junior college).
The two candidates that Carolina had in high school are not difficult to assess, since they played football in high school this season. Louisiana Linebacker Kolbe Fields has been committed to Memphis and is a versatile and athletic prospect. Alabama Cornerback La’Dareyen Craig it is a 6 ft-2 curve with confirmed track times (10.91 100 meters). Therefore, when you find these two meeting the need in these two positions, you can feel secure in the assessment. There is enough data and movie to back up. This was not the case with other high school candidates available at this stage.
The prospects for transfer are also somewhat different. Carolina didn’t just go out and try to get nine graduate transfers with one or two years of remaining eligibility. This is the kind of movement that can make what will be a challenging situation for all program numbers in a year or two even more challenging.
We will start with the two candidates for a junior college. Cornerback Isaiah Norris, who signed during his first term outside Georgia Military College, has an excellent tape of his day, not only at the Military Institute of New Mexico, where he began his university career, but at TL Hanna High in Anderson. Defender Tavareon Scott (Dodge City, Kansas) has a legitimate movie and experience. These two combine with Marcellas Dial (Georgia Military / Woodruff HS) who committed to the previous team, but signed with Beamer and has already signed up.
There is a good combination with the portal players.
All seven transfers are currently in South Carolina and will also be ready for spring training. There is really no downside to catching so many. Some fans will complain about the recruitment ranking of 2021 teams. Potential customers of the portal are not evaluated, therefore, they do not count in the ratings of the 247Sports Composite team. This means that although Gamecocks has reached 20 potential customers, only 13 count towards the ranking. This means that Carolina finished 14th in the Southeast Conference and 77th nationally. Both are low for the modern recruitment era. Both are also incomplete considering that more than a third of the class does not even count.
Cornerback David Spaulding is a 1.8 meter candidate with good speed who started his career at Georgia Southern. Spaulding is almost like evaluating a high school candidate or perhaps a player who is just beginning his career in college. He was a 2019 high school student at the Bradwell Institute in Hinesville, Georgia, where he was a teammate with Gamecocks running back Kevin Harris. Spaulding has four years of eligibility left, so there is time for him to develop due to his size and speed.
Like Spaulding, linebacker Darryl Williams, has a connection with a running back from South Carolina. Williams is from the state of Delaware as a freshman from Gamecocks. Marshawn Lloyd, which really brought the team’s attention to his film. Williams was overlooked by the majority of FBS when he was ranked No. 1 potential customer in Delaware in 2020. He signed with the University of Delaware, but the Blue Hens season was moved to spring because of COVID. In early January, he hit the portal and landed in South Carolina. Leaving his high school film, he would be a linebacker taker given his physicality. Work ethic is off the charts based on what he has done so far in the Carolina weight program. Also similar to Spaulding, Williams still has four more years of eligibility. So both are like recruiting high school candidates.
Former Georgia state linebacker Jordan Strachan comes with two years to play. This makes it more like a college transfer or graduate. He arrived at GSU as an assistant at Camden County High in Kingsland, Georgia, with 190 pounds and became a 225 pound bag master. Strachan was tied at the head of the FBS last season with 10.5 sacks for the Panthers and was an All-Sun Belt selection from the third team. The 6-foot-4, 220-pounder gives Gamecocks instant help with the linebacker, as well as a skilled passer and a defender in defense. It would be like recruiting a top junior university player and probably better because the Sun Belt is a much better conference than any JUCO league.
Ernest Jones’ early departure and the general shape of the room gave Carolina an immediate need for a linebacker at the end of this cycle. Considering all the factors, arresting Fields, Williams and Strachan is almost as good as Gamecocks could do. All three have an excellent chance to contribute in style immediately.
No position was more necessary for South Carolina than the wide receiver and Gamecocks got two different perspectives from the portal.
Ahmarean Brown arrives from Georgia Tech with three years of remaining eligibility. As a real freshman in 2019, he drew with Calvin Johnson’s record of receiving touchdowns with seven and was arguably the best player in the Yellow Jackets attack. The 5-foot-10, 180-pounder will fill in well for the deceased Shi Smith. Brown brings experience and speed (4.3 seconds confirmed in the 40 yard race) to the table.
EJ Jenkins arrives from São Francisco (Pa.) with two years of remaining eligibility. The 6-foot-8, 235-pound athlete is an abnormal athlete who came on the scene with 13 touchdown receptions (39 receptions for 779 yards) during the 2019 campaign. Gamecocks essentially received no outside threats last season and Jenkins brings that up instantly. He is also a player who throughout his career has taken a step forward each season. The transition to the Southeast Conference will require this.
Therefore, both transfers fulfill not only a general need for the receiver, but also a specific need (speed, size). Both are like hiring junior college candidates in terms of time remaining. Obviously, Brown did this at the Power 5 level.
Jenkins teammate, defender Jason Brown, is also moving to South Carolina from St. Francis. The two also played together at Chancellor High in Fredricksburg, Virginia. Brown is 1.83 m tall, 230 pounds and has a good arm. He is mobile enough not to be a complete statue in his pocket. Gamecocks need competition in the quarterback room as only freshmen on the rise Luke Doty had some experience in returning. Brown offers this competition. It must be interesting to see what happens this spring, summer and pre-season at the most important point in the field.
A familiar name returns to South Carolina to provide the depth of the defensive line. Jahkeem Green is a Sumerian native who has committed to Gamecocks since college, but had to go to Nebraska for academic reasons. Now, he is transferring back home. The 6-foot-4, 305-pound engine gives Carolina some depth and volume inside. This was a defensive need at the beginning of the off-season. If he can address his obvious potential by leaving college, he could surprise many people this fall and perhaps fight for a starting point. Green still has two years left.
Brown (the quarterback) and Green are like hiring junior college candidates.
Therefore, the portal players are different in terms of how to view them. Five of the seven are similar to hiring junior college players. Two are like high school players. If there is a cycle to make JUCO heavy, this is it, since it is unlikely that their numbers will get out of control in the future with all players in the 2020 class receiving a red shirt.
This is another reason why Beamer and his team were smart, regardless of how it negatively impacted the team’s recruitment ranking. They had a choice and chose the best assessment route. Time will tell what kind of player each of these 20 candidates will become, but during an unprecedented period for the South Carolina program and college football in general, there is a good chance that those who tend to be creative and innovative will end better off in the long run.