South Carolina football head coach Shane Beamer signed a 2021 class of 13 high schoolers and junior college transfers during National Signing Day on Wednesday.
“Back in December, when I talked about us sitting down and kind of figuring out what we need to attack and what we need to address from a personnel standpoint on defense, it was linebackers/edge outside backer-type guys," Beamer said about his staff’s top recruiting priorities.
Out of the Gamecock's 13 official commitments, 12 are three-star recruits. T.J. Sanders, a 6’5”, 275-pound defensive end, and Nicholas Barrett, a 6’4”, 320-pound defensive tackle, headline the class and should help to address the team's weaknesses.
Sanders is one of two high schoolers in the 2021 class who is from South Carolina, a point of emphasis for Beamer.
“It’s always going to be important for us to keep the best players in South Carolina at home,” Beamer said.
Along with Sanders, Junior college cornerbacks Marcellas Dial and Isaiah Norris and wide receiver O’Mega Blake of Rock Hill's South Pointe High School make up the in-state commitments for the Gamecocks.
Kolbe Fields and junior college transfer Tavaeron "Bam" Scott bring new talent to the linebacker position. Both players are over six feet tall and over 200 pounds and will look to make an immediate impact for new defensive coordinator Clayton White.
“From day one, it was Kolbe and Bam,” Beamer said. “They’re hard workers, they’re all business, every time I talk to them, they’re either working out, getting ready to go work out or just finished working out all the time and they’re appreciative of this opportunity.”
Three-star quarterback Colten Gauthier headlines the signings on the offensive side of the ball for the Gamecocks. Sam Reynolds, running back Caleb McDowell and offensive tackles JonDarius Morgan and Jordan Davis are all three-star recruits.
South Carolina has the 76th-best recruiting class in the country and 14th-best in the SEC as Beamer and his staff begin to make their mark on the Gamecock football program.