Big news on the recruiting front: The Gamecocks have received a commitment from highly touted Kell (Marietta, GA) CB Brendan Langley. It wasn't too long ago when I was wondering if Carolina would be able to address needs at CB in this class, and those needs have now been addressed in spades after Langley's and Ronnie Martin's commitments. 247 ranks Langley as the nation's 13th-best CB and the 180th-best prospect overall; their composite rankings have him as the 15th-best CB and the 173rd-best overall.
As a player, Langley's film makes me think of a slightly slower Stephon Gilmore. Like Gilmore, Langley has the prototypical long body for a cornerback that scouts really drool over in this day of big receivers. He's very athletic and capable in coverage and shows good instincts and closing speed when making breaks on the ball. In contrast to Gilmore, his high-end speed isn't quite as good and he needs to work on his hip form in press man, but it's not like he's weak in these areas. He's also a very strong tackler for a conerback. He can lay a hit like a linebacker.
The last thing to note about this commitment is that it's yet another Peach State success for Carolina, and another one that we got head-to-head against UGA. There's simply never been a stretch when we've had this kind of success against the Dawgs, who have traditionally been able to name their commitments in-state; in the past, we would have only gotten the scraps, not bona fide bluechippers like Langley. Winning these battles was particularly important this year, due to the relatively weak in-state class. Massive credit to the coaching staff for making this happen.