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South Carolina offers intriguing in-state prospect

by:Kevin Miller04/08/25

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Class of 2026 tight end prospect Tilden "T" Riley with South Carolina tight ends coach Shawn Elliott and 4-star wide receiver target Gordon Sellars. Photo credit: T Riley | @t_riley5 on Twitter/X
Class of 2026 tight end prospect Tilden "T" Riley with South Carolina tight ends coach Shawn Elliott and 4-star wide receiver target Gordon Sellars. Photo credit: T Riley | @t_riley5 on Twitter/X

On Monday night, South Carolina football extended a scholarship offer to in-state prospect Tilden “T” Riley. He announced the news on social media following a conversation with Gamecock head coach Shane Beamer.

Riley, a multi-sport athlete from Orangeburg Prep, is 6-5 and 205 pounds and plays all over the field for the Indians. The On3 industry ranking–a weighted composite of the rankings from all four major recruiting sites–rates him as a tight end, the No. 54 player at that position in the country. He’s the No. 958 recruit nationally, regardless of position. Riley ranks 15th overall in the Palmetto State for the class of 2026.

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Despite his tight end prospect label, Riley spends most of his time in OP’s offense at wide receiver. Lining up out wide, he is often used as a deep threat, but he has enough athleticism to catch balls underneath and even in the quick game at times. As a junior, he logged over 1000 yards of total offense.

On defense, Riley is a big safety who showcases a nose for the football. His experience on offense helps him with the ball in the air and in post-interception/fumble recovery situations.

Following his junior season, Riley earned selection to the SCISA Futures North-South All-Star Game. He had over 100 yards and the game-winning score in the showcase. He was also a SCISA All-Star as a forward on the hardwood and is an outfielder and left-handed pitching prospect on the baseball diamond.

Riley has received football scholarship offers from power conference teams like Duke, West Virginia, Pittsburgh, and Virginia Tech. He has scheduled summer official visits to Virginia Tech, West Virginia, Vanderbilt, and Florida Atlantic so far.

South Carolina already has one tight end committed in the class of 2026. 4-star Newberry product Jamel Howse pledged his services to the Gamecocks in the fall. USC has three junior or senior scholarship tight ends, though, so adding numbers to tight end coach Shawn Elliott’s room will be needed.

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