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Monday is announcement day for longtime USC quarterback target Dylan Lonergan of Snellville, GA. He will make his commitment announcement at 4:00 PM at Brookwood High School via CBS Sports HQ. Lonergan has been deciding between USC, Alabama and Stanford and took official visits to all three. Lonergan also is a highly regarded baseball prospect and wants to play both sports in college. The 2023 MLB Draft next summer also could play a role in his future. The Gamecocks have gone solely after Lonergan as their 2023 quarterback. Should they not land him, their 2024 commitment Dante Reno has the option of reclassifying to 2023 and coming in with that class.
WR Davion Dozier of Moody, AL also plans to announce on Monday and has USC on his short list along with Tennessee, Duke, Arkansas and Maryland.
USC target WR Jaden Greathouse set July 15th for his commitment announcement. Notre Dame, Texas and Oklahoma were his other official visits.
Linebacker Jaden Robinson (6-1 215) of Lake City, FL announced a commitment to USC on the Fourth of July. Robinson is the latest Sunshine State product to commit to the Gamecocks joining fellow linebacker Grayson “Pup” Howard, tight end Connor Cox, athlete Kelton Henderson, and safety Cameron Upshaw. Robinson chose the Gamecocks from a top four that also included Kentucky, Maryland, and Michigan. He visited in May and returned for an official visit June 24th. Robinson said after the May visit that defensive coordinator and linebackers coach Clayton White let him know there was a spot for him on his defense. “Just come and be a part of them, be a part of the program,” Robinson said. “He said I can come in a be an inside backer, and on third down come down and blitz off the edge.” Last season Robinson totaled 64 tackles with 3 tackles for loss and 2 sacks. Robinson also took official visits to Maryland and Kentucky. Some of his other offers were Louisville, LSU, Florida, Florida State, Nebraska and Tennessee. Robinson is the 13th commitment for the Gamecocks 2023 recruiting class.
2023 USC commitment class:
- JUDGE COLLIER CB 6-1 190 LEGION COLLEGIATE
- GRAYSON HOWARD LB 6-3 223 JACKSONVILLE
- JADEN ROBINSON LB 6-1 215 LAKE CITY, FL
- DONTAVIUS BRASWELL RB 5-11 200 SANDERSVILLE, GA
- TROVON BAUGH OT 6-4 315 ATLANTA
- ISAIAH JATTA OT 6-6 310 SNOW JC, UT
- ZABHARI SANDY SAF 6-1 204 WASHINGTON, DC
- CAMERON UPSHAW SAF 6-3 175 PERRY, FL
- JALON KILGORE SAF 6-2 196 EATONTON, GA
- CONNOR COX TE 6-6 227 JACKSONVILLE
- KAMRON SANDLIN TE 6-4 210 ANNISTON, AL
- KELTON HENDERSON WR 5-11 175 LEHIGH ACRES, FL
- CJ ADAMS WR 6-3 210 MABLETON, GA
OT Kamen Smith of Wilkesboro, NC committed to NC State. He also had USC, North Carolina and Virginia Tech in his final four. USC was the only one he did not visit officially.
DE Chandavian Bradley of Platte City, MO committed to Tennessee over USC and Texas A&M. He took an official visit to USC June 24th.
Clemson scored a major recruiting victory over Alabama Friday night, one that could one day lead to another on the field victory over the Crimson Tide in the College Football Playoffs. DT Peter Woods (6-2 265) of Alabaster, AL, one of the top defensive line prospects in the nation for the 2023 class, passed on following the footsteps of most his state’s highly coveted prospects who chose to go to join Nick Saban and instead cast his lot with Dabo Swinney. He also considered Florida and Jackson State in his final four. Woods made his lone official visit of the summer to Clemson for their major weekend of June 3rd. He also visited Clemson for a game last season and was in for a junior day in late January. What he saw and experienced at Clemson must have resonated strongly with him because he declined to follow through on any other official visits. “When he came back from the official visit, I asked him about the trip and he said it went great,” said Thompson High coach Mark Freeman. “When he discussed with me about what he planned on doing, he told me it felt like he was walking through his house. The coaches were like his high school coaches. They had young kids running around, and I have our coaches let their young kids come to us a lot, and I think it felt a lot like home to him. And I think they did a really good job expressing that they’re worried about him being a complete person. I don’t really get into recruiting with the kids, but I think they just did a great job on convincing him that it was going to be a lot like the culture he was used to and they were going to try to develop him as a total person as well as football player.” Woods did take unofficial visits to Alabama during the process. Woods is a defensive tackle with defensive end speed and skills. Last season he recorded 92 tackles with 26 tackles for loss and 11 sacks. “He’s got such a powerful and fast first step. He’s really good with his hands. He’s athletic. So when he explodes, he explodes with a lot of leverage,” Freeman said. “Uses his hands really good just off blockers. And then he ran a 4.6 (40-yard dash) three times in a row for us in April. He can run. He has that explosion in his hands and he is such a physical kid. Like I said, he explodes into the defenders and uses his hand so well. They just can’t get on him with their blocking. Just really good instincts, too, for a big guy. Got great, great instincts on where the ball is going.” Woods is the third defensive tackle to commit to the Tigers and they now have 17 total commitments in their 2023 class.
The Tigers last week also landed OT Zechariah Owens (6-7 355) of McDonough, GA. Owens made Clemson his lone official visit in June. Penn State made a push to get him to visit last month but that did not materialize. He made unofficial visits during the process to USC, Penn State, Alabama, Florida State and Georgia. Owens also drew offers from Alabama, Penn State, Michigan, Kansas, North Carolina, Colorado, Duke, Arkansas, LSU, Oregon, Pitt and others. Owens is the third offensive lineman to commit to the Tigers joining Ian Reed and Harris Sewell. It’s possible the Tigers could add a fourth offensive lineman to the group. They remain involved with Markee Anderson, Monroe Freeling, Stanton Ramil, Connor Lew and Kamen Smith.
Clemson 2023 commitments:
- AVIEON TERRELL CB 6-0 170 ATLANTA
- BRANDEN STROZIER CB 6-2 175 ALPHARETTA, GA
- DAVID OJIEGBE DE 6-3 235 WASHINGTON, DC
- AJ HOFFLER DE 6-5 240 COLLEGE PARK, GA
- VICTOR BURLEY DT 6-4 278 WARNER ROBINS, GA
- STEPHIYLAN GREEN DT 6-4 275 ROME, GA
- PETER WOODS DT 6-2 265 ALABASTER, AL
- JAMAL ANDERSON LB 6-4 195 HOSCHTON, GA
- DEE CRAYTON LB 6-2 215 ALPHARETTA, GA
- IAN REED OT 6-5 310 AUSTIN, TX
- HARRIS SEWELL OT 6-4 290 ODESSA, TX
- ZECHARIA OWENS OT 6-7 355 MCDONOUGH, GA
- CHRISTOPHER VIZZINA QB 6-4 207 BIRMINGHAM
- KYLEN WEBB SAF 6-1 180 SARASOTA, FL
- OLSEN HENRY TE 6-4 210 NAPLES, FL
- MARKUS DIXON TE 6-5 230 WARMINSTER, PA
- NOBLE JOHNSON WR 6-3 205 ROCKWALL, TX
Clemson missed on DE Keldric Faulk (6-5 255) of Highland Home, AL as he chose Florida State over the Tigers. He also had Auburn and Florida under consideration. Faulk visited Clemson for their big January junior day the last weekend of that month. He returned for his official visit June 3rd. He also made official visits to Auburn, Florida and Florida State.
A former Tiger target, DT Darron Reed of Columbus, GA, announced a commitment to LSU.
USC and Clemson target DT TJ Searcy committed to Florida.
USC is in the top 10 with DT Jordan Hall of Jacksonville. The others are Oregon, LSU, Auburn, Southern Cal, Florida, Georgia, Florida State and Ohio State. Hall did not make any official visits in June, but he did make an unofficial visit to USC the last weekend of the month. He also visited the Gamecocks in January and March. He’s also made stops at Georgia, LSU, Alabama, Miami, Florida, Florida State, UCF and Auburn. Hall is a teammate of USC linebacker commitment Grayson Howard.
USC is in the final five with WR Carmelo Taylor of Roanoke along with Virginia Tech, West Virginia, Penn State and Maryland. He took official visits to USC, Penn State and Virginia Tech in June. He plans to announce his commitment July 25th.
OT Caden Jones (6-7 305) of New Orleans has an offer sheet that runs the alphabet from Alabama A&M to West Virginia. Recently, the rising senior at De La Salle High School trimmed his list to ten schools, including USC. The others on his short list are Florida State, Houston, Minnesota, Florida, Texas, Missouri, Texas A&M, Mississippi State and Howard. Though he’s yet to visit Columbia, Jones says he’s already developed a rapport with the Gamecocks’ staff. “They showed me that they care about their players,” Jones said. “I haven’t really been up there, so I don’t know what their coaching style is, but I can tell you they’re great coaches and care about their players. They like my upside, my athleticism, and my ability to play tackle and get so low at such a high height.” Jones did make unofficial visits to Florida, Florida State, Houston, Texas and Texas A&M this spring and summer. And he’s planning a multi-day return visit to Florida the end of this month. Jones says he’s in no rush to make a decision. He plans to cut his list in half and from there work on his final choice. “After I drop my top five, it won’t be long until I commit,” Jones said, cautioning that his decision will follow official visits during the season. In fact, Jones intends to take it to signing day in February before making his decision.
OT Oluwatosin Babalade (6-5 296) of Hyattsville, MD named a final five of USC, Rutgers, Maryland, North Carolina and Ohio State. He also set July 31st for his commitment announcement. Babalade took official visits to all five schools. He also visited USC for the spring game in April. He said his last contact with the Gamecock coaches was just before July 4th when they reached out to wish him a happy holiday. “I made the decision, but there are some things that I’ve got to really think about, so it’s like 50-50,” Babalade said. “I’m going to do a pros and cons and see how it is. I kind of told the school, but not really yet.” Babalade added there were a couple of things about the school he’s chosen that stood out more to him than with the other programs. “The family part, the fans are crazy,” Babalade said. “I just want to play where I have better competition, and I feel like that might be the place.” Babalade said one thing he’s sure about is he’s happy to have the recruiting process behind him. “I’m finally stress free,” Babalade said. “It’s a blessing to get all these offers and meet a bunch of new people. The bad part is there’s so much stress. You’re thinking like augh, you don’t know what to exactly do.” And with that kind of mindset, don’t expect an elaborate commitment announcement on the 31st. “I might just do a post and call it a day,” Babalade said. Working in USC’s favor with Babalade is Gamecock running back Marshawn Lloyd. He also attended DeMatha, and though he was a few years ahead of “Tree” the two are friends.
Clemson offered RB Christopher Johnson (5-11 178) of Fort Lauderdale. He camped at Clemson in June and named the Tigers last month in his top six along with Miami, Florida State, Alabama, Ole Miss and Texas A&M. Johnson took an official visit to Rutgers in June. He also took unofficial visits to USC and Miami.
In an interview with Adam Friedman of Rivals, DE Desmond Umeozulu of Upper Marlboro, MD cited the USC coaches as the ones he hears from the most, and that would make a difference in his decision. He took officials to USC, UNC, Pitt and Ohio State. He said a commitment announcement would be coming “pretty soon.”
One time USC target RB Treyaun Webb committed to Florida.
WR/SAF Evan Spivey of Philadelphia committed to Coastal Carolina.
Powdersville SAF Thomas Williams committed to Virginia Tech.
2024 WR Mazeo Bennett (6-0 165) of Greenville High will be one of the top prospects in the state for next recruiting season and is blossoming into one of the most sought-after recruits nationally at his position. Bennett averaged better than 26 yards per catch last season and is just getting better as he has worked on his skills at a variety of camps this summer. USC was one of those camp stops and the Gamecocks were among the first to offer Bennett. He’s made multiple visits to see head coach Shane Beamer and receivers coach Justin Stepp. He’s also been to places like Clemson, Alabama, Tennessee, Georgia, Miami, West Virginia, Florida State, Virginia Tech and Louisville. Out of all his stops, one stands out the most at this point. “I can definitely say South Carolina,” Bennett said. “They pretty much set the standard. We are down there so much, they set the standard of how you should be recruited when you go to these schools. The amount of love that they show, it’s unmatched. Virginia Tech, Miami, Florida State, lot of those schools show the most love. When I worked out for Alabama, you could feel the love. Everywhere I go you could definitely feel the love.” But, Bennett added, the love he’s feeling from Beamer and company is unmatched. “When you go down there, you interact with everybody there,” Bennett said. “Everybody is upbeat. Everybody is happy to be where they are at. Everybody is happy to work there. Everybody is happy to be under Coach Beamer. It’s just love. Everybody wants you to be there. Everybody wants you to stay home. That’s their biggest thing with me is stay home, you don’t have to go out of the state, you can just stay home.” Bennett’s offers include USC, Alabama, Louisville, West Virginia, Georgia, Tennessee, East Carolina and South Florida. He’s been on the Clemson radar, but in typical fashion, the Tigers are moving slowly with his recruitment. “We were very high on Clemson, but we’ve kind of been let down a few times,” Bennett said. “We are really taking our time with Clemson, keeping that same relationship, I guess. I don’t really know how to answer that. I feel like my recruitment doesn’t depend on a Clemson offer. I feel like I can go somewhere and be happy without getting that Clemson offer. My recruitment isn’t based off a Clemson offer.” As he makes the rounds and breaks down the schools, Bennett is focusing on what a school can do for his near future, which is his education, and his far future, which he hopes leads to the NFL. “The development of the receivers and the players as young men as well as getting them to their final destination,” Bennett said. “Academics is one thing as well. I want to get a meaningful degree when I go to the school. I don’t want to get a mediocre degree and when I get out, I don’t have anything to do. I really want to focus on what’s after it and getting me to my final destination which will be the NFL.” Bennett said he plans to visit USC and Miami, and perhaps some others, during the live recruiting period in late July. He plans to make his commitment next summer and right now has penciled in June 30th, his nephew’s birthday, for a commitment date.
Clemson is in the top ten with 2024 DT Champ Thompson of Norcross, GA. The others are Texas, Virginia Tech, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Florida State, Georgia Tech, Alabama, Georgia and Miami. Thompson visited Clemson June 11th. USC was among his other offers which also included Auburn, Michigan, Nebraska, Penn State, Louisville, Notre Dame, NC State.
Clemson is in top 10 with 2024 CB Kaleb Beasley of Nashville. The others on the list are Penn State, Auburn, Oklahoma, Michigan, Tennessee, Notre Dame, LSU, Georgia and Florida.
2024 WR/FS Chase Byrd of Greer was offered by Maryland.
Basketball News:
USC basketball target 2024 guard KJ Greene was offered by Pitt.
Baseball News:
USC landed a baseball transfer from Southern Miss. INF Will McGillis is the ninth pick up in the transfer portal for Mark Kingston and USC. McGillis is a native of San Diego who played four seasons with the Golden Eagles. Last season he hit .265 with 15 home runs and 51 RBIs. He walked 32 times and struck out 57 times. He committed six errors in the field.
Former USC pitcher Julian Bosnic is transferring to Arkansas.
