Jordan Burch makes it official with South Carolina on Signing Day

While National Signing Day has lot a lot of its luster with the advent of December’s early signing period, there’s still some drama to be had with blue-chip recruits who enjoy letting the process play out until its conclusion.

Thankfully, there was no drama for the South Carolina Gamecocks today — only good news, as five-star defensive end Jordan Burch, a local product out of Hammond, finally signed on the dotted line after a late push from reigning national champion LSU.

Burch, the highest-rated recruit of the Will Muschamp era and the coach’s second five-star prospect — Zacch Pickens being the first — is rated as the top prospect in South Carolina, second at his position nationally, and overall checks in as the eighth-best recruit in the country in 247 Sports’ composite rankings.

Burch’s signing capped a couple other positive developments for South Carolina on Wednesday, as the Gamecocks added JUCO running back/linebacker ZaQuandre White and also flipped three-star defensive end Gilber Edmond from the University of South Florida.

White, who was a four-star prospect out of high school (and ranked above Travis Etienne), originally landed at Florida State before hitting the JUCO ranks to retool his career. While at Iowa Western Community College, he became a JUCO All-American, and rebuffed advances from Tennessee to sign with the Gamecocks.

Edmond’s defection from USF was a Signing Day surprise for South Carolina, who talked him out of his pledge to the Bulls. (According to 247 Sports, Florida State and Tennessee also got involved in the final weeks of his recruitment, but didn’t extend offers.) Edmond is rated as the nation’s 70th-ranked weakside defensive end.