South Carolina signees LaNorris Sellers, Vicari Swain make big jumps in final rankings

On3 released its updated football prospect rankings for the 2023 cycle on Tuesday and two South Carolina signees — ATH Vicari Swain and QB LaNorris Sellers — made big jumps and are now among the top 100 prospects in the country.

As a reminder, the On3 rankings are put together by On3’s in-house team of evaluators, not to be confused with the On3Consensus, which is an industry average of the four major recruiting media companies. In other words, the On3 rankings make up just a quarter of the On3Consensus.

•Subscribe to Gamecock Central until Aug. 31 for only $29.99

This rankings release marks the final update and is heavily informed by continued senior season evaluations and national all-star games that featured nearly 200 of the nation’s top prospects.

On3 has been higher on both Swain and Sellers than the rest of the recruiting industry for some time and only doubled down on its belief in both in the latest rankings.

Swain, a four-star ATH from Carrollton (Ga.) Central, is now the highest-ranked signee in the Gamecocks’ class in the On3 rankings, moving up from No. 104 to the No. 51 overall prospect in his class. The 6-foot-.5, 175-pounder, who is now considered the No. 3 ATH and No. 3 prospect in Georgia, is slated to start his South Carolina career at cornerback.

“Swain is truly one of the most athletic players in America,” said Cody Bellaire, On3 Scouting and Rankings Assistant. “His movement skills and overall athleticism shine on his senior tape. We knew he was explosive with some of the testing data he put together during the summer prior to his senior season, but he really put it all together as a senior and we were extremely impressed.”

On3 Director of Scouting and Rankings Charles Power has been higher on Sellers than the rest of the industry as well and already had him as a four-star prospect and just outside of the top 150 players in his class before moving him to No. 95 overall in the latest and final update. Sellers is now considered the No. 8 QB in his class and No. 2 prospect in the Palmetto State, according to On3.

“Sellers posted arguably the best senior season of any quarterback in the 2023 cycle,” Power said. “The 6-foot-3, 220-pounder accounted for nearly 4,300 yards and 67 total touchdowns against just two interceptions. Statistically, he was at or near the top of nearly every category among On300 quarterbacks. This is not a stat-stuffing situation, though. Sellers has a live arm with tangible velocity and the ability to drive the ball 60 yards in-air.

“His size, burst and outstanding contact balance makes him a considerable run threat and tough to bring down in the pocket. The huge senior season was backed up by an MVP showing at the Shrine Bowl of the Carolinas. Sellers missed the majority of his junior season with an injury and is one of the youngest top quarterbacks with a June birthday.”

Six other South Carolina signees are also among the top 300 prospects in the country according to On3:

Dorman (S.C.) OL Markee Anderson (No. 147), Eatonton (Ga.) Putnam County DB Jalon Kilgore (No. 167), Hyattsville (Md.) Dematha Catholic OL Tosin Babalade (No. 177), Jacksonville (Fla.) Andrew Jackson LB Grayson Howard (No. 193), Sandersville (Ga.) Washington County RB Dontavius Braswell (No. 228), Atlanta (Ga.) Pace OL Trovon Baugh (No. 287).

Camden (S.C.) DL Xzavier McLeod and Upper Marlboro (Md.) Flowers EDGE Desmond Umeozulu are also four-stars on On3, just outside of the top 300, while Elijah Davis is a four-star from the JUCO ranks.

The Gamecocks have 11 total four-star prospects in their class according to On3’s rankings with five-star Nyckoles Harbor still a priority uncommitted target.

• Subscribe (for free) to the Gamecock Central YouTube page!

Discuss South Carolina football recruiting on The Insiders Forum!