What Desmond Umeozulu would mean for Gamecock football

One of Gamecock football’s top remaining targets in the 2023 class is set to announce his college commitment in just over 48 hours. Desmond Umeozulu would represent a significant acquisition for head coach Shane Beamer and lead recruiter Sterling Lucas for a multitude of reasons.

The On3 Consensus – a complete and equally weighted industry-generated average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies – ranks Umeozulu  as the number 172 overall prospect in the country the 25th-best EDGE in the nation, and the fourth-best prospect in the state of Maryland.

The Upper Marlboro (Maryland) Charles Herbert Flowers product plans on revealing his choice on Monday at 11:00 a.m. EST. His final four consists of South Carolina, Ohio State, North Carolina, and Pittsburgh.

With a 92.05 overall ranking from the On3 Consensus, Umeozulu would become the third-highest ranked prospect regardless of position in the 2023 Gamecock football recruiting class, should he ultimately pledge to South Carolina. He would check in just behind offensive lineman Markee Anderson and defensive lineman Zavion Hardy and right in front of defensive lineman Xzavier McLeod.

The On3 Recruiting Prediction Machine currently has the South Carolina Gamecocks as the leader to ultimately land Umeozulu’s commitment, with a 90.5 percent chance. The On3 engineering group teamed up with Spiny.ai to create the industry’s first algorithm and machine learning-based product to predict where athletes will attend college. 

On3’s RPM factors in machine learning, expert predictions, social sentiment, visits, and historical trends, with expert predictions a significant part of the equation.

Umeozulu took an unofficial visit to Columbia back in May, following that up with an official visit to check out Gamecock football in more depth in the middle of June.

“My visit overall was really good. It really built my relationship even more with Coach (Sterling) Lucas,” Umeozulu told GamecockCentral.com following that June official. The players were really good to me. It was just a good environment overall.”

Sterling Lucas, who’s in his first season as an assistant for Gamecock football, has made a clear impression on the DMV four-star.

“Just how he cares for my mom, my dad, my godmom, my brother,” Umeozulu explained during the summer. “Like he just shows a real genuine relationship. Also he is one of the coaches that has been talking about having a really good relationship with me.”

Landing Umeozulu would also represent another win for Gamecock football in the DMV region, as it has been a priority – along with the Northeast – for Shane Beamer and his staff. In the 2022 class, South Carolina landed one prospect from Virginia, two from Pennsylvania, and one from Delaware.

In the 2023 class, South Carolina already has pledges from Maryland products Zahbari Sandy and Oluwatosin Babalade. The staff continues to pursue Umeozulu and five-star athlete Nyckoles Harbor, too. Gaining a pledge from Umeozulu would represent the latest DMV breakthrough for the Gamecocks.

Here’s more on Desmond Umeozulu’s game and potential from his On3 scouting report:

Long-limbed edge rusher whose burst and length allow him to consistently terrorize offensive tackles on Friday nights. Solid hand usage. Rarely allows offensive lineman to get their hands on his chest. Quality bend and flexibility given his size. Measures in at a legitimate 6-foot-6, 200 pounds with a 6-foot-8 wingspan. Jumped an impressive 28.5-inch vertical and ran an electronically-timed 4.65 shuttle during the spring camp circuit prior to his senior season. Would like to see some development in his change of direction. Appears heavy-footed at times. High upside prospect due to size and functional athletic ability.

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