Gamecocks land surprise commitment from four-star running back!
South Carolina football coach Shane Beamer teased that there could be more than just fireworks coming for the Gamecocks this holiday weekend and so far he’s delivered.
South Carolina landed a surprise commitment Saturday afternoon when Sandersville (Ga.) Washington County class of 2023 On3Consensus four-star running back Dontavius “DJay” Braswell committed to the Gamecocks.
South Carolina appeared to be out of it when Braswell recently announced a top four of Nebraska, Alabama, Oregon and Boston College despite previously going on the record with South Carolina and Nebraska as his top two.
But running backs coach Montario Hardesty and the Gamecocks ultimately won out for Braswell who took an official visit to Columbia on the weekend of June 10, one of two massive recruiting weekends for the Gamecocks last month.
“The thing that stands out is he knows what it takes to get to the next level,” Braswell said last month about Hardesty. “He knows what I need to do to develop me to get to the next level. Me and him have been talking for a while and he is a pretty cool person. I like him a lot.”
The 5-foot-11, 200-pound Braswell is ranked the No. 290 overall prospect, No. 16 running back and No. 29 overall prospect in Georgia in the 2023 class, with a rating of 89.92 according to the On3Consensus, a complete and equally weighted industry-generated average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies.
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On3’s analysts are slightly higher on Braswell than the recruiting industry, giving him a 90 rating as the No. 223 overall prospect, No. 12 running back and No. 20 prospect in the state of Georgia.
Braswell is the first running back and 12th overall prospect in the Gamecocks’ 2023 class.
“It was basically that I am one of the missing pieces of their team,” Braswell said of Carolina’s message to him. “I’m the guy that can go and can do really anything, catch the ball out of the backfield and really help the team.”
Braswell ran for 1,081 yards on just 80 carries as a junior, good for 13.5 yards per carry.
Braswell’s commitment kicks off this month in a similar fashion to the last when South Carolina landed nine public commitments during the month of June.
The Gamecocks could get more big news later today as priority class of 2024 four-star quarterback target Dante Reno is set to announce his decision at 7 p.m.
