The second National Signature Day for the 2021 football class is Wednesday, and although Clemson is not expected to add to his class of 19 recruits who signed in December, South Carolina has three spots available.
The Gamecocks hope to fill two of those spots with defensive backs from the state of Alabama.
Safety Juwon Gaston de Montgomery and cornerback La’Dareyen Craig from Mobile are expected to sign with the USC on Wednesday.
Gaston had Gamecocks as his favorites on Auburn for some time. Craig said the USC and the state of Mississippi are at the top of his list.
“Right now, I’m seeing who’s showing more love,” Craig said recently. “At the moment, I’m a little bit inclined towards South Carolina. They are showing a lot of love. Every day this week, I’ve been talking to the whole team. We got a call from Zoom, we use Facetime and we text every day. I adore them. They look really genuine. “
And genuine is how he found new coach Shane Beamer.
“Coach Beamer is cool,” he said. “I’ve been hearing about Coach Beamer since before they offered it to me. We’ve been exchanging text messages and talking. He is very nice. I like Coach Beamer. “
Craig, who had 41 tackles, 9 pass breaks and 3 interceptions last season, said he could go public with an appointment before signing day, or wait until Wednesday to remove his hat from the table.
Another remaining target for Gamecocks is linebacker Tavareon Martin-Scott (6-3, 215) from Dodge City (Kansas) JC. He reduced his list to USC, West Virginia and Mississippi State and plans to sign publicly on Wednesday afternoon. Arkansas and Texas Tech were previously on their short list. He said he still hasn’t made his decision.
Martin said he hears a lot from Gamecocks and has been talking to technical assistants Pete Lembo and Clayton White.
“They like the way I move and play in space. They are good people and want to win, ”said Martin-Scott. He also spoke with coach Shane Beamer. “I think he’s a nice guy. He’s coming and has a weight on his shoulder, so I think he’s just like me. “
Martin-Scott is preparing for a spring season in Dodge City. He said he will enroll in his new school in May.
The USC also played for former Kentucky player Joko Willis, a 6-3, 210-pound linebacker from LaGrange, Georgia, and Independence JC from Kansas. He officially retired from the Wildcats last week. Auburn is also making a strong bet for Willis.
Gamecocks also remained involved with defensive end Jimmori Robinson (6-6, 248) from Monroe (NY) Junior College. Robinson is a committed former UTSA and also had Florida State, Auburn and Jackson State on his short list.
Linebacker Trevin Wallace of Jessup, Georgia, was also wanted by the Gamecocks, but he apparently will sign on Wednesday with Kentucky, Ole Miss or Auburn.
East Carolina transfer cornerback Nigel Knott, which has attracted some interest from the USC, is transferring to Ole Miss. He’s from Madison, Miss.
Gamecocks will officially add unsigned defensive tip TJ Sanders and linebacker Kolbe Fields on Wednesday. The 22 places in the class now consist of 18 newbies and four who played for Gamecocks in 2020.
Quarterback Jason Brown (6-4, 230) and wide receiver EJ Jenkins (6-8, 230), teammates in Saint Francis, Penn., Were accepted by the USC last week and officially committed. They arrived on campus over the weekend and will begin classes in March.
In 2019, Brown led the passing Northeast Conference and set a school record with 3,084 yards and 28 touchdowns. Jenkins was the second All-NEC team in 2019 and set the school record with 13 touchdown catches. He had 39 receptions for 779 yards.
Long snapper Holden Caspersen of Roswell, Georgia, is heading to Clemson as a favorite walk-on. He is ranked 26th nationally among the long snappers by Rubio Long Snapping.
North Myrtle Beach’s defensive side, Chase Simmons, will sign on Wednesday. He was hired by Coastal Carolina for a blue shirt offer, but said the Chants had updated their offer to a normal offer, meaning that he would get a scholarship immediately. He recently received an offer from Syracuse. USC showed an interest in Simmons, and he said that in the past Gamecocks mentioned a preferred walk-on opportunity.
Fairfield-Central striker Gerald Gaither has committed to Limestone.
Adonis King, Blackville-Hilda athlete, committed to SC State. Jordan Smith has also committed to the Bulldogs.
The Gray Collegiate Kazarius Adams running back was offered by Georgia State.
Former 5-star USC 2022 quarterback Gunner Stockton of Tiger, Georgia, announced an appointment with Georgia last week. Stockton, who is considered the best defender in the 2022 class, committed to former Gamecocks coach Will Muschamp and then to offensive coordinator Mike Bobo last August. When Muschamp was fired in mid-November, it caused Stockton to rethink his plans.
Clemson targets 2022 quarterback Ty Simpson of Martin, Tennessee, marked February 19 for his engagement announcement. Tennessee, Auburn, Alabama, Florida, Texas, Texas A&M, Ole Miss, Oklahoma and UT-Martin, where his father is a coach, are other important schools with him.
New USC high school coach Torrian Gray, not long after arriving from Florida, offered high school at Hallandale High School in Florida. They are all in class 2022 and are all highly regarded potential customers. And they can all play various positions in the secondary.
Eric Weldon, a 6-5, 210-pound safety from Hallandale, Florida, was recently offered by defensive coordinator Clemson Brent Venables for the 2022 class. Tigers joined USC, Alabama, Colorado, Florida, Florida, Georgia Tech, Mississippi State, LSU, Kansas, West Virginia, Oklahoma State, Michigan, Georgia, Kentucky, Miami, Virginia Tech, Indiana and Pitt to offer one of the highest security guards in the country.
“It was nice to receive Clemson’s offer knowing that they don’t distribute a lot of offers,” said Weldon. “I worked hard and then the Lord blessed me to receive an offer from Clemson and Coach Venables.”
Clemson has a history of long, tall safety devices, and Weldon fits that mold. He knows that his size gives him an advantage over smaller security devices and smaller receivers.
“It helps me to cover more ground when I’m on the pitch and it’s easier for me to see the pitch,” said Weldon. Weldon is classified as a potential 3 star customer on 247Sports Composite.
When Joe Cox was the receiver trainer at USC, he offered 2022 wide receiver CJ Smith from Orlando. When Justin Stepp was the receiver’s coach in Arkansas, he also offered Smith. Stepp, of course, replaced Cox at USC in Shane Beamer’s new team. He apparently brought his notes from Fayetteville.
Last week, Stepp contacted Smith and made sure he knew that his Gamecocks offer was still at stake. “The one I mostly stayed in touch with was the new wide receiver technician, Coach Stepp,” said Smith. “He was one of the coaches who recruited me for Arkansas and got me the offer from Arkansas. We kept in close contact when he moved to South Carolina. “
Along with USC and Arkansas, Smith also has offerings from Florida State, Boston College and BYU.
The new USC team has made a point of offering Hiltonback linebacker Jaylen Sneed (6-3, 220) again in recent weeks. The 4-star prospect carries a great deal of offerings from coast to coast, with Southern Cal, Texas A&M and Notre Dame as the latest. New Gamecocks’ defensive coordinator and linebacker trainer, Clayton White, did not waste much time contacting Sneed after he settled in Columbia.
Clemson is one of the top programs that make a strong bet for the defensive side of 4-star Cyrus Moss (6-5, 220) from Las Vegas. Tigers joined companies like Florida State, Georgia, UCLA, Mississippi State, Washington, Tennessee, Michigan State, Florida, Alabama, Texas and Arkansas in search of Moss, who is ranked as the 4th defensive side of the weak side nationally on 247Sports Compound for 2022.
Moss got his Tigers offer last week. “I was definitely excited because as you probably know, they take time,” said Moss. “They like to see if the person fits the excellence they expect from Clemson, both on and off the field. Once again, I was very honored that they saw me as a possible fit. “
New USC offers made last week:
• 2022 DE Anto Saka (6-4, 225) from Towson, Maryland. Boston College and Duke are among its other offerings.
• 4 stars 2022 CB Nikai Martinez (5-10, 170) from Apopka, Florida. He is ranked 24th nationally among the corners at 247Sports Composite. Clemson, Auburn and Florida are also among its offerings.
• 2022 OT Max Bowman (6-6, 280) from West Chester, Penn. It was rated 3 stars on the 247Sports Composite. It also has offers from Maryland, UConn, Arizona State, Pitt, Cincinnati, Michigan State and others.
• 2022 CB Chris Graves (6-2, 180) from Tampa. Florida State, Miami, Boston College, East Carolina and USF are among its other offerings.
• 2022 WR Jayden Gibson (6-6, 185) from Winter Garden, Florida. It is classified as a 3-star prospect. It also has offers from Indiana, Toledo, Liberty, Virginia, Kansas State, West Virginia, Penn State, Florida State, Georgia Southern, Iowa State, Cincinnati, Missouri, UCF, Miami and Georgia Tech.
• 2022 TE CJ Hawkins (6-7, 220) from Tampa. Arizona State, UCF, Virginia Tech and Michigan State are among its other offerings.
• 2022 4-star OT Jacob Allen (6-6, 270) from Princeton, NJ He was rated the 8th OT nationally in the 247Sports Composite. Some other offerings are Alabama, Arizona, Boston College, Duke, Auburn, Texas and Minnesota.
• 2023 SAF Michael Daugherty (6-0, 175) from Loganville, Georgia. LSU, Georgia, Auburn and Arkansas are among its other offerings.
• 2023 ATH Santana Fleming (5-11, 170) from Opa Locka, Florida. Alabama and the state of Arizona are also among its offerings.
• 2023 CB Ethan Nation (6-0, 170) from Roswell, Georgia. Last season he had 8 interceptions, broke 6 passes and made 35 tackles.
• 2023 SAF Michael Daugherty (6-0, 175) from Loganville, Georgia. LSU, Georgia, Auburn and Arkansas are among its other offerings.
• 2024 QB Jadyn Davis of Catawba Ridge. Oregon also recently offered. He also received offers from Alabama and Georgia. He has already pledged to play the 2024 Under Armor All-American Game.