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Four-star cornerback Chris Lammons signed his National Letter of Intent to play for South Carolina on Wednesday, choosing the Gamecocks over Wisconsin during a ceremony at Plantation High School in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. Because of South Carolina's dire need for cornerback depth--only one cornerback who played the position in 2013 returns in 2014--the 5'9, 175-pound defensive back will almost certainly be competing time as a true freshman.
SB Nation recruiting analyst Bud Elliott evaluated Lammons last spring:
Lammons is really, really athletic. He's also quite raw, given that he plays quarterback for his high school team. Living in Florida, I've been lucky enough to see him play cornerback at several 7-on-7 events, and have come away very impressed.
One of Lammons' best attributes is his quickness. He is able to reach top speed almost immediately, which helps to cut down on receiver separation. His speed is good, but is not in the elite or track category.
While I haven't measured, Lammons' arms, they do appear longer than those of a typical 5'9.5/5'10 cornerback recruit. He has wide shoulders and should be able to play at at least 185 pounds.
There are still some questions remaining about Lammons. I haven't seen him flip his hips like an elite cornerback. I also don't know anything about his instincts to this point as a defensive back, because the 7-on-7 former doesn't lend itself to that. The same goes for tackling.
Lammons could benefit from a redshirt at the BCS level, but could also be a solid special teams contributor and perhaps a threat in the return game early on in his career.
Lammons decommitted from Florida on Jan. 9 and narrowed his choices down to South Carolina and Wisconsin over 14 other FBS offers, including Alabama, Florida State, Ohio State, and Miami. He is ranked the No. 21 cornerback and the 205th-best overall prospect in the 2014 class, according to the 247Sports Composite index.
Lammons becomes the 19th member South Carolina's recruiting class, joining three-star defensive end Blake McClain as National Signing Day commitments. Defensive backs Al Harris, Jr., D.J. Smith, and Darin Smalls signed with the Gamecocks on Monday morning. USC will now just has to wait on four-star cornerback Wesley Green's commitment at 5 p.m. to know how many DBs will be part of its 2014 signing class.
With Lammons' signature, USC's class ranking moves up to 20th overall, according to the 247Sports Composite ranking.
