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South Carolina football recruiting: Gamecocks lead as 4-star Union County receiver Shi Smith "real close"

All of the day's recruiting news in one place!

By David Salley
Grant Halverson/Getty Images

Gamecocks set to land Shi Smith?

The biggest news that has developed in the last 24 hours is that 2017 4-star Union County wide receiver and long-time Gamecock lean Shi Smith could very well pull the trigger on his commitment by the end of the week. Several experts believe this to be the plan in place for Smith at this time and it would be a complete shock if that commitment went to anyone other than South Carolina. Smith has not been shy during his recruitment when asked about his leaders, as he has routinely been outright in saying that South Carolina has a solid lead; a statement he once again backed up after Will Muschamp's camp on Monday afternoon.

Smith's commitment would be a linchpin for the 2017 class, as he is not only one of the best receivers in the state of South Carolina, but one of the best receiver prospects in America. He would become the highest rated player in the Gamecocks' 2017 class should he jump on board and his commitment would likely put South Carolina's 2017 recruiting class somewhere into the top 20 classes nationally. Smith has been heavily favoring the Gamecocks for some time and it looks like that may be finally coming to fruition. Stay tuned.

Bowen moving quickly on Carolina offer

Also on commitment watch is 2017 3-star linebacker Davonne Bowen, who received an offer from South Carolina over the weekend. Shortly after the Gamecocks offered, Bowen announced he would be committing on Wednesday.

Ever since, the rumors have been that Bowen is going to commit to the Gamecocks, as the South Carolina offer was one he had been waiting on for some time and now that he has it, he sees no need to drag the process out any further. Many see Bowen as an underrated prospect who could shine in Will Muschamp's defensive scheme at South Carolina. Keep an eye on his Twitter for an announcement at noon today -€” it is very likely to be in the Gamecocks' favor.

USC trending with big-time Georgia DE

Big-time 4-star 2017 defensive tackle MJ Webb of Georgia took another unofficial visit to South Carolina on Monday. The Gamecocks have been recently trending more and more with Webb and his presence in Columbia yet again only further backs up that line of thinking. Should the Gamecocks land Webb, it would be a tremendous get for this coaching staff. Webb is one of the top ranked defensive ends in the country in the 2017 class and has offers from the likes of Auburn, hometown Georgia, Alabama, Florida State and others. Webb's high level of interest in the South Carolina program is a testament to Will Muschamp and his staff maintaining relationships with players after changing schools. Muschamp, Thompson, Bentley and Robinson have been after Webb since their days at Auburn and have continued to make him feel like a priority at South Carolina. This approach has clearly paid off and could very well end up helping the Gamecocks land a coveted prospect in the 2017 class that would have otherwise been at Auburn or Georgia.

Richardson finally lands Gamecock offer

We have talked a lot about 2017 athlete Tancey Richardson of South Aiken and his recruitment with South Carolina. Ever since the Gamecocks began to show interest, Richardson has been very receptive to the Carolina coaching staff. Although they held off on an offer for some time, Richardson made it known that he wanted a South Carolina offer and was willing to prove he deserved one. Well, Richardson got that chance at Will Muschamp's camp on Monday, where he performed well enough to finally earn an offer from defensive coordinator Travaris Robinson at the end of the day.

While Richardson has said that this doesn't change anything on his leaderboard for the moment, most believe that now, with a committable offer on the table from South Carolina, it is highly likely that he will eventually end up in Columbia.

The next Gilmore in Garnet and Black?

A headline-grabbing offer was issued on Saturday when South Carolina extended a scholarship to 2018 South Pointe cornerback Steven Gilmore, the younger brother of Gamecock legend and top-10 NFL draft pick Stephon Gilmore.

There is still a long way to go in Gilmore's recruiting process -€” South Carolina was his first offer. However, the feeling is that South Carolina, should they keep on him, will likely be difficult to beat for his services given the family connection. Gilmore's pedigree alone would make him a fan favorite from day one, so it will be interesting to follow his recruitment from this point forward.

4-star LB lands South Carolina offer

4-star 2017 linebacker Dax Hollifield of North Carolina received an offer from the Gamecocks on Saturday, his 11th offer to this point.

Hollifield said that the Gamecocks are at the top for him now after the offer, along with North Carolina and Virginia Tech. South Carolina has staying power here and Bobby Bentley, Hollifield's recruiter of record, has already been on his trail hard, so expect that to continue and help keep the Gamecocks in the game with him until the very end.

CB makes big impression

2017 3-star cornerback Damarri Mathis received his first SEC offer from South Carolina on Monday after testing and performing very well at Will Muschamp's camp.

Mathis impressed the Gamecocks' coaching staff and his recruitment could very well be on the up-swing, as he received an offer from Ole Miss not even 24 hours after receiving his offer from South Carolina.

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