Gamecocks add in-state safety to 2025 class
Commitments seem to come in waves at South Carolina under Shane Beamer and the Gamecocks appear to be heating up on the recruiting trail.
Abbeville (S.C.) three-star safety Damarcus Leach announced his commitment to the Gamecocks on Wednesday after giving Beamer the word of his pledge on Tuesday.
“I’ve always been a Gamecock fan growing up. That played a part,” Leach told GamecockCentral.com. “My mom loved the campus, the communication was great between Coach Gray, Coach White, Coach Beamer. Even Coach Furrey reached out to me. Seeing the consistency, it was just the cherry on top.”
Leach was recruited to Columbia by defensive backs coach Torrian Gray, the person that Leach first called with the news.
“He was shocked and surprised. I caught him off guard,” Leach said. “He called Coach White and Coach Beamer and they called. They said they were excited. It’s officially home now.”
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The 6-foot-3, 185-pounder has long been considered a lean to in-state South Carolina after landing a camp offer last summer, his first offer of the process.
“Coach (Jaylan) Foster pulled me to the side at first, then he pulled me to the side and took me to where Coach (Torrian) Gray was at,” Leach told GamecockCentral at the time. “I was pretty excited for it, it being such a big offer for my first.”
Leach ultimately chose the Gamecocks over offers from Virginia Tech, Georgia Tech, Duke, Wake Forest Cincinnati, and Vanderbilt.
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Major College Football Playoff implications
On3 ranks Leach as the No. 46 safety in his class and the No. 14 prospect in South Carolina for the cycle.
The On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average of the major recruiting media sites, considers Leach the No. 46 safety and No. 11 prospect in the state. He’s the No. 657 overall prospect in the class. On3 and 247Sports are the only two sites to have Leach ranked at this time.
“As a player, I feel like I’m going to bring raw energy and strength,” he said. “I’m stronger than your average long, lanky person. I’m going to bring anything and everything I’ve got every play. It’s something we’re taught at Abbeville. I‘m able to fight through adversity.”
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Leach’s public commitment comes the day after Concord (N.C.) Robinson four-star wide receiver Brian Rowe committed to South Carolina. Rowe was the Gamecocks’ second commitment to the class and Leach the third as the duo joins Florence (S.C.) South Florence three-star wide receiver pledge Jayden Sellers.
A state champion in football, Leach is a multi-sport athlete, also competing in basketball and track.
