South Carolina football recruiting: Kaleb Chalmers down to South Carolina, Ole Miss

It’s down to the final two for JUCO cornerback Kaleb Chalmers. After a visit to Ole Miss this weekend, the Northwest Mississippi Community College product will make his choice between the Rebels and the Gamecocks next week. Chalmers enrolled at Clemson last year after graduating from Greenwood High in South Carolina (Qua Lewis’s alma mater), but was kicked off the team in March after being found in possession of several drugs, including marijuana. He recorded 30 tackles and a sack last year at NWCC but was heavily utilized as a shutdown defender, credited with 13 pass breakups and 14 deflections.

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Chalmers’ past transgressions may raise some eyebrows among fans. My take on it, though, is that it was a dumb mistake made by a young kid. He’s managed to stay out of trouble over the past few months and should turn out to be an attractive talent if he continues to do so. The Gamecocks have struggled with keeping up with deep threat wide receivers, and getting somebody in that can lock them down is key to a much more successful 2017 season. There are currently two committed CBs for the 2017 class: Jamyest Williams and Tavyn Jackson; however, I’ve believed for a while that Jackson won’t be part of the class come National Signing Day.

FSU checking on Nasrildeen

Hamsah Nasrildeen is getting a visit from Florida State. Josh Newberg reports that the Concord (N.C.) product will get a look today at some point. Nasrildeen, who pledged back in August, is a top-ten outside linebacker nationally and the #1 player in the state of North Carolina.

Richardson unveils top six

South Aiken (S.C.) ATH Tancey Richardson unveiled his top six, and the Gamecocks found themselves in it. Richardson was originally a June commitment, but as it turns out, the staff didn’t take the commitment at that point in time. 247Sports’ Crystal Ball currently has the Gamecocks as a favorite to land him. We had reported that a few weeks ago former Gamecock Marcus Lattimore was looking to recruit Richardson to South Carolina, so we’ll see if that has any bearing at all.

A peek at 2019

The 2019 recruiting cycle is still a ways off, but that obviously hasn’t kept the staff from recruiting current sophomores. One of those is North Stafford (Va.) RB Devyn Ford, currently the top running back and 12th ranked player in his class. Ford has said that Virginia Tech is currently in the lead for his services, but the Gamecocks are working to get him in the fold. Another to watch: Brunswick (Ga.)’s Warren McClendon, the nation’s #3 offensive tackle.

Right now, the Gamecocks have offered 25 sophomores. That number is obviously set to grow over the next few months as the staff continues to evaluate short- and long-term prospects.