Crootin’ Notebook: Who’s next for South Carolina?

In terms of football recruiting, the first week of July was up and down for the South Carolina Gamecocks.

Will Muschamp landed a pair of priority targets in the forms of defensive tackle Jabari Ellis and running back Lavonte Valentine, but also missed out on two big-time defensive end prospects when Stephon Wynn and Dorian Gerald opted to commit to Alabama and Tennessee, respectively.

The next announcement of significance may not come for a while, with a few recruits delaying their decisions and others trending elsewhere.

Four-star defensive back Jaycee Horn, who was originally slated to commit to either USC or Alabama on July 15th, told Phil Kornblut he will likely push back his announcement until after he visits Tennessee on the 20th. I have felt good about the Gamecocks’ chances of landing Horn up until this point, but Tennessee and their Georgia commits are making a strong late push.

Dutch Fork (Irmo) wide receiver Bryce Thompson was expected to announce this month and even said he has come to a decision, but is waiting to make it public until he completes some unfinished school work. If he finishes on schedule, a commitment could come as early as the 30th.

Thompson decommitted from Virginia Tech on June 11, shortly after attending one of Muschamp’s camps in Columbia. The staff is looking at him primarily as a defensive back, and he is being heavily projected to choose the Gamecocks when he does decide to commit.

Not too long ago, South Carolina was the leader for four-star safety Trey Dean, but his recruitment seems to have shifted to a Georgia - Texas battle as of late. He will announce on July 31st.

Several others have plans to wrap up their recruitment by the end of summer, but have not mentioned any specific dates, while some of the bigger fish will likely wait until closer to signing day. We will provide updates as they happen.