Breaking down how the 2023 South Carolina recruiting class fills in the positional gaps
South Carolina football has been climbing On3’s 2023 recruiting class rankings.
Shane Beamer and the Gamecocks are up 12 spots from the 2022 class, sitting at No. 17 nationally, with the opportunity to move up as the February signing day approaches.
The team is looking to replace a lot of veterans across the board. Here is how the Gamecocks filled the needs in the 2023 class.
Offensive line
South Carolina really emphasized the trenches this class, bringing in five offensive linemen in the 2023 class. The Gamecocks are losing three starters–Jovaughn Gwyn, Eric Douglas and Dylan Wonnum–and need to plug those holes for 2023.
Replacing such a veteran offensive line requires a few heavy classes of recruits. Luckily, the 2023 class has plenty of big men to go around.
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Four-star Interior force Markee Anderson headlines the group, the highest-rated recruit currently in South Carolina’s 2023 class. Anderson comes in at 6-foot-3, 300 pounds from Dorman high school.
He is the second-ranked recruit in the state, and the tenth-ranked interior offensive lineman in the country according to the On3 Consensus. Anderson also is enrolling early and will be able to get to work immediately.
The class also features Oluwatosin “Big Tree” Babalade. Babalade was a highly-targeted recruit for Beamer and newly promoted offensive line coach Lonnie Teasley.
Beamer brought in transfer interior force Nick Gargiulo from Yale. Gargiulo logged 636 snaps for the Bulldogs in 2022 and earned a 72.5 grade from Pro Football focus. He is a big addition to the class because of his veteran presence.
The Gamecocks also signed four-star Trovon Baugh (No. 347) and three-star Jatavius Shivers (No. 872) and are still pushing for more linemen in the portal.
South Carolina also landed transfer interior offensive lineman Sidney Fugar out of Western Illinois. Fugar is massive, measuring in at 6’7 and 330 lbs.
Defensive line, EDGE
Similar to the offensive side of the ball, South Carolina also lost a lot on the defensive line entering the 2023 season, most notably Zacch Pickens, Gilber Edmond and Jordan Burch. The Gamecocks brought in five players when including the EDGE additions.
In-state tackle Xzavier McLeod and DMV edge Desmond Umeozulu headline the defensive line group, which includes four blue-chip players. McLeod checks in as the No. 198 player in the class and the third-best player in the state.
Umeozulu, who the Gamecocks beat Ohio State for, is the second-highest-rated recruit in the class. The On3 consensus has him as the No. 168 player in the class and No. 21 edge prospect.
Junior college prospect Elijah Davis will have a chance to compete for starting snaps. The Gamecocks beat out a late push from Tennessee to land the No. 3 JUCO player in the country.
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The 2022 Mr. Football in South Carolina could be a key piece for South Carolina in defensive tackle depth in 2023. McLeod is also enrolling early which only helps his case to be in the running for playing time.
South Carolina also has in-state edge rusher Monteque Rhames (No. 346) enrolling early with a chance to make an immediate impact. Four-star defensive tackle Zavion Hardy (No. 209) remains committed and won’t sign until February.
The only question left for the class is 5-star EDGE/TE Nyckoles Harbor. A commitment from Harbor–who will focus on offense in college but could play both ways–would surely vault the Gamecocks into the top 15 nationally.
Linebackers and secondary
South Carolina prioritized the lines of scrimmage but still brought in one linebacker and five defensive backs.
Four-star linebacker Grayson “Pup” Howard is the biggest recruit between these two groups. He is the lone linebacker in the class. Howard is also an early enrollee who practiced with the team during Gator Bowl prep.
He is going to be one of the freshman that could see the field immediately. Howard adds to the depth at linebacker with the departures of Brad Johnson and Sherrod Greene.
South Carlina heavily recruited the defensive backfield. The team lost key pieces in Cam Smith and Darius Rush so it was pivotal to get more depth.
Beamer brought in five defensive back recruits. Safety Jalon Kilgore and defensive back Vicari Swain headline the group. According to the On3 Consensus, Kilgore is the 30th-ranked safety in the country. Swain is an insanely fast riser in the class who can play on either side of the ball.
South Carolina also landed former Ole Miss linebacker, Jaron Willis. Willis was a 4-star recruit in the class of 2022 and left Ole Miss after just one semester.
Offensive skill positions
Beamer added 12 skill players when the transfers are included. The position of most need is the tight end position and this class reflects that.
South Carolina is losing its entire tight end room from 2022. Austin Stogner and Jaheim Bell transferred, Trey Kenion left because of personal reasons and Nate Adkins is out of eligibility.
The Gamecocks pulled in three transfers and three recruits in the 2023 class. The group is led by Arkansas transfer Trey Knox, who started his career as a receiver.
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The freshman tight ends are three-stars Connor Cox, Kamron Sandlin, and Reid Mikeska. Then there is Harbour, who remains uncommitted and will also play tight end.
The lone quarterback in the class is a big one. South Carolina flipped Florence, S.C. native Lanorris Sellers from Syracuse in early signing period drama. Sellers joins a very crowded quarterback room but has a lot of potential.
Running back is also a position of need for South Carolina. The team loses two of their starting backs in MarShawn Lloyd and Christian Beal-Smith.
Beamer only has one freshman running back in the class in four-star Dontavious Braswell. Everything about Braswell parallels Lloyd. He is a bigger back with quickness as well.
The Gamecocks also added transfer Mario Anderson from Newberry. Anderson is once again, a lot like Lloyd. That style of back fits well in Beamer’s system and new offensive coordinator Dowell Loggains is already recruiting the type heavily.
