Karamo Dioubate spurns South Carolina, picks Temple

Will Muschamp's first National Recruiting Day as head coach of the South Carolina Gamecocks didn't end with the bang fans had hoped, but it still ended up pretty well regardless.

Karamo Dioubate, the defensive tackle/defensive end from Philadelphia, decided to stay in his hometown and committed to the Temple Owls today. Dioubate announced his decision at a ceremony at a Buffalo Wild Wings in the Philadelphia area.

While he is very close to his family and was slated as a player that would strongly consider remaining in his backyard, the lure of SEC football was appealing to the consensus four-star; however, he decided to stick around his backayrd and take his talents to an emerging Temple program helmed by Matt Rhule. Other offers included Michigan State and Ohio State.

With Dioubate turning South Carolina down, the Gamecocks end their 2016 class with a total of twenty-four players. Six of those - quarterback Brandon McIlwain, running back C.J. Freeman, wide receiver Bryan Edwards, d-linemen Keir Thomas and Kobe Smith, and cornerback Chris Smith - are already enrolled. Another player, top JUCO cornerback Jamarcus King, signed last month. Even without Dioubate, the Gamecocks have another talented four-star DT in their stable (Stephon Taylor) that should compete from some playing time and even contribute at a fairly high level as soon as this fall.