COLOMBIA – They can’t have sophisticated recruiting weekends with extravagant food and giant outdoor video game screens. They cannot go to college and watch players’ training while talking to their coaches.
College recruiting during COVID-19 was a major adjustment, especially when a program was taken on. South Carolina coach Shane Beamer, in office for a full month on Tuesday, is discovering the delicate balance between the need for players to fill the gutted Gamecocks squad, while also trying to do his due diligence.
“We will make sure that anyone we bring to the program, do a thorough assessment of everything before bringing it. We have to make sure that they fit our culture and fit in our locker room, ”said Beamer. “Jump on Zoom calls, make virtual visits, first I have to make sure that they are great people. You can still exhaust all the paths and find out more about these guys. “
Beamer needs bodies. Almost all of the secondary went to the NFL or transfer plans. USC’s best receiver, offensive lineman and linebacker are also becoming professional. Quarterback Ryan Hilinski and running back Deshaun Fenwick are also on the transfer portal.
There is some help. First defensive tackle Jabari Ellis and tight end Nick Muse, the main USC receiver behind the late Shi Smith, said they were coming back. Eight players who committed to Will Muschamp kept their promises and six signed up with USC on Monday. Beamer added two favorite walk-ons, junior college defender Isaiah Norris and scored his first addition to the transfer portal at Georgia Tech’s Ahmarean Brown receiver.
Gamecocks need much, much more.
“There is a lot of escalation management that needs to happen in the coming years. I understand that, ”said Beamer. “Everything will work out. We are focused on the short term, for sure. “
Beamer managed to meet with the six players who signed up face to face for the first time on Monday, then went back to work on selecting players who could fill the rest of the team’s open slots. A verbal compromise, Marion’s defensive striker, TJ Sanders, remains without a contract and there are a few other high school candidates that Beamer is eyeing.
Other than that, the transfer portal may be the best bet. It is bloated at the moment and will only get bigger as players enjoy the free year of eligibility that 2020 has brought.
Beamer wants to check everyone to the fullest, but he may need to bring some pamphlets. He already knows many of the portal’s names and the rule says that as soon as the name appears, they can be contacted.
“For many of these guys, I recruited them out of high school,” said Beamer. “We are not just looking at the names and saying, ‘Let’s get him, him, him and him’.”
There are many choices to make, and Beamer will have his choice of potential customers. He has several open grants to offer and a genuine message.
“Do you want to play now?”
These are not coach words or recruitment promises. It is a matter of waving a very marked depth chart and pointing to where each potential customer can put their name.
Follow David Cloninger on Twitter @DCPandC.