National Signing Day is soon to be upon us, and the Gamecocks are still in the hunt for a few more players. Can we finish with a flourish like we did last year? Here are my thoughts on some of the main guys we have left on the board as well as recent commitment Ace Sanders. I'm not a recruiting expert, so take all of this with a grain of salt.
Ace Sanders. We picked up a big commitment from Bradenton's Ace Sanders today. Sanders is a small, speedy receiver. I believe we could see him on the field early next year as a slot receiver. His speed gives us a big play threat that we need now that Moe Brown is graduating. With Sanders on board, I think we're sitting very pretty at the receiver position. Tori Gurley, Alshon Jeffery, and Jason Barnes will be the go-to guys, while Sanders and--if he's healthy--Dion LeCorn will give us two excellent slot options. That's one of the best receiving corps we've ever had here.
Marcus Lattimore. Not too much new on the Lattimore front, which was to be expected after his family shut down media access. His announcement is still next week at his church. This guy has probably taken the lead as the most talked about, highly sought after recruit in Gamecocks history, and if he chooses us over the Auburn Tigers, there will be dancing in the streets. Steve Spurrier gets the final in-home with Marcus, so hopefully we can seal the deal there.
Despite the noise coming out of the Auburn camp, I still believe Lattimore will be a Gamecock. It wouldn't surprise me too much if he chooses Auburn, but there just seems to be a lot pointing to Carolina. The guy is a huge Gamecocks fan and he must know that many in SC are at the point of viewing him as a veritable savior for the program. If other factors--such as the competition he'll have at Auburn--aren't enough to sway him, the Tebow-like welcome he's going to get if he commits to us has to be on his mind. This is just speculation, but I think Marcus is quite aware of all of this and has drawn out his recruitment the way he has because he wants his choice of Carolina to be utterly and fantastically dramatic. I hope I'm right about that, because this guy could be a true difference maker. He truly is the total package.
Jason Parker. Beaufort linebacker Justin Parker still says he's deciding between Clemson, South Carolina, and LSU. He has expressed more interest in LSU after his recent visit to Baton Rouge, but I still think this is a Clemson-Carolina battle. Clemson is the leader, but Spurrier's in-home is today, so there's still hope. This guy would be a big pickup for us if we can sway him
Sharrod Golightly. Golightly is a safety that is currently committed to Vandy. We are trying to sway him, probably because there are questions regarding whether current prep school commit Chris Payne will qualify. I really have no idea what our chances are with Golightly.
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