The Feed Pail: #SpursUp for 2019

Welcome back to the feed pail, where we take a look around the internet for some choice South Carolina Gamecocks tidbits and share them back here with you. On the menu this evening: bits and pieces of football news (including the other kind of football).

Gamecocks land second commitment of the day — Hale McGranahan, SEC Country

South Carolina grabbed two pledges for the 2019 recruiting class on Wednesday, adding four-star offensive tackle Mark Fox Jr. and JUCO defensive end Devontae Davis. Meanwhile, as 2018’s National Signing Day draws near, prized four-star defensive tackle Rick Sandidge, coveted by the Gamecocks and Georgia, gave an update.

Patriots CB Stephon Gilmore shuts down opponents by trusting himself — Thomas George, SB Nation

From the mothership, here’s a great read on Gilmore’s season with the Patriots and his jaw-dropping, game-sealing play against the Jacksonville Jaguars.

“When you come to a new team, you have to figure everything out and get used to different people,” Gilmore said. “It’s no excuse. You keep working. I have confidence in myself. The coaches are putting me in position to make some plays that I am supposed to make. It’s a challenging position. Why make it harder? I just stay cool about it.”

How high an NFL.com analyst rates USC’s Hayden Hurst — Ben Breiner, The State

The NFL Draft is just around the corner (kinda), so prospect talk is heating up. NFL.com’s Jeremiah Daniel gave South Carolina’s record-setting tight end a No. 34 ranking in his Top 50 list, calling him a “Day 1 starter” with “tremendous upside.” That evaluation would put Hurst in the first round, so we’ll have to see how other talent scouts evaluate him in the weeks leading up to the draft.

Blount’s JaMarcus King returns for Senior Bowl on other side of the ball — Mark Inabinett, AL.com

This is a nice hometown retrospective on King’s football career as he prepares to play in the Senior Bowl. His favorite game as a Gamecock?

King considers South Carolina’s 24-21 victory over Tennessee on Oct. 29, 2016, as his top game for the Gamecocks. He intercepted Volunteers quarterback Josh Dobbs twice. The first interception set up South Carolina on Tennessee’s 31-yard line, leading to a touchdown as the Gamecocks took a 14-7 lead in the second quarter. The second interception returned possession to South Carolina with 3:42 left to play.

King was often a go-to target for fans to rag on, especially after the infamous piggyback ride against Clemson, but he was overall an important contributor for South Carolina and arguably made some of 2017’s most clutch plays.

Savannah McCaskill competes for U.S. Women’s National Team — GamecocksOnline

The university caught up with former All-American striker Savannah McCaskill after she added another feather to her cap, playing in her first international match against Denmark on Jan. 21. Very cool experience for her after she became the No. 2 overall pick in the National Women’s Soccer League draft.

“When your name gets called, all the noise and nerves just go away because you’re finally getting to do what you came to do. It was the moments before where my heart was racing. When I finally got it in, it was just about doing what I do best: playing.”