2026 QB Landon Duckworth commits to South Carolina: 'I just had a different feeling up there'

Jackson (Ala.) 2026 quarterback Landon Duckworth may only be entering his sophomore season but he already knows where he wants to play his college ball. Duckworth was recently in South Carolina for the Gamecocks’ annual summer cookout and during that visit, Duckworth made up his mind.

He made it official now as Duckworth committed to the Gamecocks over other programs like Florida.

“I had an idea going into that visit that I was going to commit,” Duckworth told On3. “One big thing was that we stay in contact and talk all the time. No other school stayed in contact like that. I could tell we were really locked in with each other.

…I just had a different feeling up there and I feel comfortable with my decision.”

The trip to Columbia was the second Duckworth has taken since first being offered by the Gamecocks. He currently holds 10 offers and while that list will likely grow as his high school career continues to take off, it will take a lot to pull him away from the Gamecocks.

One of the biggest reasons for his commitment to South Carolina was his already strong bond with Gamecocks’ quarterback coach Dowell Loggains.

“I like the way Coach Loggains talks to me and treats me,” Duckworth said. “I can talk to Coach Loggains like we’re best friends. We understand each other and we can talk good football together.”

Loggains isn’t the only coach to stand out Duckworth. He noted that South Carolina has the best coaching staff of any he’s met so far. That starts at the top with head coach Shane Beamer.

“I like Coach Beamer a lot and he’s a really freat guy,” Duckworth said. “I talked to him at the end of the cookout. When I told him I was committed, he was real happy.”