Recent rankings updates push South Carolina football target to 4-star status
South Carolina football recruiting target Tamarion Watkins is one of the top prospects in the Palmetto State and a major target for the Gamecocks. The Northwestern High School product is a big safety listed at 6’4″ and 201 pounds. He’s so big and physical that the Georgia Bulldogs have recruited him with the idea of possibly playing linebacker. USC defensive backs coach Torrian Gray, though, seems to like him as a big, long secondary player. On3 (and the rest of the recruiting industry) labels Watkins as a safety.
Recent rankings updates for the 2026 class have propelled Watkins to a fourth overall star in the On3 industry ranking. The industry ranking–a weighted composite of the rankings from On3, 247Sports, ESPN, and Rivals–moved Watkins up after On3, 247Sports, and Rivals all updated their rankings for the ’26 cycle over the past couple of weeks. He is now the No. 312 player nationally, No. 7 prospect in South Carolina, and No. 26 safety recruit in the entire country. Rivals’ rankings like Watkins the most, picking him as the No. 125 national prospect and top player in South Carolina.
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GamecockCentral’s Chris Clark published a list of prospects close to earning On3 RPM picks for South Carolina, and Watkins made the list. According to Clark, the Gamecocks have positioned themselves well in Watkins’ recruitment. This comes despite a pretty impressive offer list for the Rock Hill product.
So far in the class of 2026, South Carolina has five commitments. The 14th-ranked Gamecock class includes 4-star safety J’Zavien Currence, 4-star tight end Jamel Howse, 4-star linebacker/EDGE Keenan Britt, 3-star defensive back Peyton Dyer, and 3-star offensive lineman Anthony Baxter. Both Currence and Baxter are also Rock Hill natives like Watkins.
