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Name: Daniel Fennell
Position: Linebacker
Height/Weight: 6'5", 220 pounds
Hometown: Loganville, G.A.
Rating: Rivals: 3 stars 247Composite: 3 stars ESPN: 3 stars
Amid all of the speculation about Will Muschamp, three star linebacker Daniel Fennell committed to the South Carolina Gamecocks, becoming the 28th commitment of the 2015 class. After Davon Durant decommitted from South Carollina, and missing out on Caban, who is committed to the Louisville Cardinals, the Gamecocks were able to secure Fennel's commitment. He joins Sherrod Pittman, and Jalen Henry as the other linebackers in this years class. He selected the Gamecocks over offers from Michigan State Spartans, Mississippi St. Bulldogs, Miami Hurricanes, and Missouri Tigers among others. His primary recruiter is listed as G.A. Mangus with Kirk Botkin serving as the secondary recruiter.
Strengths:
One of Fennell's best strengths is his ability to stop the run. He is very good at finding his gap and attacking the running back or the quarterback. Another thing that I really like about Fennell is his patience. He doesn't simply rush towards the quarterback hoping he has the ball. He will wait long enough and has enough vision to know where the ball carrier is and bring him down. His tackling is pretty solid and makes sure to wrap up and bring down the ball carrier on the first hit. The last thing that really stands out about him is his ability to shed blocks and get to the ball.
Weaknesses:
While Fennell is very good at stopping the run he will need to work on his pass defense skills to really make him a well rounded linebacker. One of the biggest ways he could improve it is simply by increasing his speed. His current 40 yard dash is listed at 4.78, which is not that bad, but it is somewhat slow and could lead to players gaining a yard or two more if he is pursuing them. Another weakness is that he is somewhat light for his position and will need time to get to that 230-240 range or more to be able to be a starter in the SEC.
Overall Thoughts:
Overall Fennell is a good player and will hopefully be able to help a South Carolina defense that ended the season as one of the worst in school history. Right now, Fennell is one of the recruits that I would consider a strong redshirt candidate, considering that the team will return starts Skai Moore and Jonathan Walton along with Kaiwan Lewis, T.J. Holloman and others. After redshirting for a year he might be able to start pushing the other linebackers for playing time, but out of all the commits, Sherrod Pittman is the most likely to have an immediate impact.
If you would like to check out his higlights, follow this link, courtesy of Hudl.com: