2014 quarterback prospect and Gamecock offer Drew Barker published his junior highlights on YouTube earlier today:
It definitely appears as though South Carolina has made a good impression by offering early and getting Barker on campus twice now, most recently for the Gamecocks 38-35 game against Tennessee, in which current QB Connor Shaw set a career best in passing yards.
As we noted a few months ago, USC is still the leader among the schools that have offered, and the junior signal caller appears to be eyeing a decision sometime this winter. But, in reading about his recruitment, it's hard to avoid coming away with the impression that Drew is really waiting to see whether or not Ohio State is going to pull the trigger on an offer before making up his mind. Urban Meyer's staff has gotten him on campus four times since the end of July, and Barker's hometown of Hebron, KY is just over 2 hours from Columbus, OH, so consider me extremely uneasy about this situation until further notice.
If Steve Spurrier is able to secure a commitment from the talented Kentuckian, South Carolina will have taken a big step toward developing some quality depth at the quarterback position, with four star passer Connor Mitch expected to enroll at USC for the winter 2013 semester. But if the Gamecocks miss, I'm not really sure what their next move is. Spurrier and quarterbacks coach G.A. Mangus have consistently employed a strategy of focusing on one QB target at a time. Right now, Barker is their man, but if Barker is going to ultimately end up elsewhere, it would be better for the Gamecocks to know sooner rather than later.
For more on Barker, check out his 247 Sports profile.