Shane Beamer discusses new South Carolina football commit Elijah Caldwell
While Shane Beamer likes the early signing period, he still sees the benefit of players waiting until February to commit.
“So many of these young men nowadays, they have great senior years. And sometimes maybe some of them fall through the cracks,” he said. “Because schools don’t watch as much senior tape as maybe they used to because they’re signing guys earlier.”
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One player who didn’t fall through those cracks is Elijah Caldwell, the three-star wide receiver from Northwestern who signed with South Carolina Wednesday morning.
Caldwell committed to the Gamecocks Jan. 26, making things official on the first day of the February signing period.
He previously committed to West Virginia but decided to back off of that and wait until February to sign due to personnel changes on the Mountaineers staff.
Caldwell is listed as the No. 864 player and No. 122 wide receiver in the class of 2023 according to the On3 Consensus. The player rating system also had him as the No. 10 player in South Carolina.
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During his senior season, Caldwell accumulated 1,365 yards on 77 catches and scored 19 touchdowns for Northwestern. He also earned an invitation to the Shrine Bowl, where he received interest from a number of other colleges.
“The whole week at the Shrine Bowl, all the guys that are with us now were communicating with us about Elijah and his performance,” Beamer said.
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Beamer said he would “add a lot” to a receiving room that already features Antwane Wells Jr. and Dakereon Joyner.
“I remember sitting in the offensive staff room with (Dowell Loggains) and Coach (Justin) Stepp and the offensive staff and watching Elijah’s videos,” Beamer said. “He’s very strong as a receiver at the point of attack, catching balls and being able to fight through contact.”
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Caldwell also found a vocal supporter in fellow 2023 signee LaNorris Sellers, who committed during the early signing period.
“Once LaNorris decided to become a Gamecock, LaNorris joined the vocal crowd about that and how talented Elijah is,” Beamer said. “The high school coaches that coached in that game (Shrine Bowl) told us the same thing.”
Beamer added that signing Caldwell meant the Gamecocks gained another high-quality player from the Palmetto State during this cycle. Beamer’s hunt for in-state talent has been exemplified through 2023 signees like Markee Anderson and Xzavier McLeod.
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“That’s what we like. One, to get a player out of Northwestern up there, and two, just his skillset,” Beamer said. “I think he’s just scratching the surface of how good he can be.”
