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One of the biggest high school football showcases is just days away. The Under Armour All-American Game, which brings over 100 seniors to Orlando each year, is entering its tenth year in 2017 and will kick off on New Years’ Day. Players checked in yesterday and will be hitting the fields today for the week’s first practice session from 10am-1pm. Tomorrow and Friday will include two more 10am-1pm practice sessions before Friday’s skills competition from 2:30-4:30 and a final practice on Saturday (10am-noon) before Sunday’s game.
How many Gamecocks commits are playing?
Among the players suiting up for Team Highlight will be Jamyest Williams, who will take the field with top recruits like Georgia pledge Isaiah Wilson (the #7 offensive tackle in the country), Alabama commit Alex Leatherwood (the nation’s #6 player), and others. Williams is the Gamecocks’ lone commit participating in the week’s events.
What Gamecocks recruiting targets are playing in the game?
The big name is four-star offensive lineman Tony Gray, Williams’ teammate at Grayson High School in Georgia. Gray confirmed to SB Nation recruiting guru Bud Elliott that South Carolina was “in the mix” for an official visit in January before a final decision at some point before National Signing Day. Despite projecting as a Georgia lean, the thinking (from one recruiting expert, 247’s Rusty Mansell) is that with the Dawgs bringing in six OLs next year, they will lay off their pursuit of Gray. That opens the door for teams like South Carolina.
Another name to watch is Tucker (Ga.) DE Aaron Sterling, who has the Gamecocks in his top four along with Georgia, N.C. State and Tennessee. The Atlanta-area product pledged to Alabama last Christmas but reopened his recruitment in September. According to an interview with Rivals.com’s Woody Wommack, one of the main draws of South Carolina is the relationship he has with current Gamecocks defensive end and former teammate (at Stephenson High School) D.J. Wonnum. Sterling also noted that the staff texts him weekly and is in constant contact, so we should probably look for an official visit from him next month.
2018 WR target to announce in May
We now know when junior wideout Demarcus Gregory will announce his decision. The 6’3”, 196-pounder from Byrnes High in Spartanburg has set a date of May 27 to reveal his college choice. Gregory is ranked as the state’s #10 player among current juniors according to 247Sports’ composite rankings and holds schools like South Carolina, Louisville, N.C. State, Ole Miss and Wake Forest among his offers.