Five candidates were on South Carolina’s radar for the 2021 recruiting class on National Signature Day.
Two were committed to Shane Beamer and Gamecocks’ new technical team: three-star defensive tackle TJ Sanders (Marion, SC) and three-star external linebacker Kolbe Fields (Metairie, Louisiana). Sanders committed to former coach Will Muschamp last summer, but did not sign in December, because of the staff change. Fields, a former member of Memphis and Oklahoma State, joined the South Carolina class on January 7.
Sanders has since been announced as a member from class. Fields will send his National Letter of Intent to Columbia in the late afternoon.
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Two non-committed Alabama high school candidates were counted among the targets on Wednesday: Three-Star Security Juwon Gaston (Montgomery) and three star cornerback La’Dareyen Craig (Mobile). Gaston’s other finalist is Auburn.
The state of Mississippi was the main competition for Craig, who announced that he would sign with South Carolina shortly before 11:30 am, although he has not yet sent a National Letter of Intent. Auburn considered sending an offer, but he never pulled the trigger. Gaston is expected to sign with Auburn.
Junior College Linebacker Tavareon Scott (Dodge City Community College) announced its decision to sign with South Carolina on the state of Mississippi and West Virginia. He was announced as a member of the class.
The subscription times for all five potential customers are listed below.
11 am – Craig
11:30 am – Sanders
1 pm – Scott
1:30 – Fields
2:30 – Gaston
If South Carolina does not sign all three of the non-committed candidates listed above, Gamecocks will have room to add others to the 2021 recruiting class. Apart from the two commitments, a total of five vacancies are available, in addition to the 16 already signed.
Gamecocks’ 2021 recruitment class is ranked 94th in the country, according to 247Sports. They are the last in the SEC.
South Carolina’s seven additions to the NCAA Transfer Portal are the highest at the SEC. Arizona and the State of Florida are the only Power 5 programs with more than seven transfers. All seven Gamecocks transfers have already been reported to the campus and will undergo spring training, which begins in March.
Five more candidates applied in January, four from high school and one from college. There were four others who signed up in December, three from high school and one from college, although they have not yet completed their respective schools.
If any of the players report to Columbia in August, they can be counted for the 2022 recruiting class. These names can be determined at a later date.
Stay tuned to TheBigSpur for more coverage of the South Carolina Gamecocks National Signing Day. If you are reading this story on the PPG message board, click on the link below to see more of the 2021 recruiting class members.