South Carolina football coach Shane Beamer and his staff have landed two really good recruiting classes in a row in the 2023 and 2024 cycles. The Gamecocks have signed top-20 nationally ranked players in two consecutive seasons and signed multiple 5-star players in the same cycle for the first time in modern recruiting history. The talent on Carolina’s roster is deeper than some may realize.
This week, 247Sports released its Total Talent Composite rankings, a look at the entire team’s roster based on high school (and/or junior college) recruiting ratings. The rankings do not take into account transfer portal recruiting rankings. All rankings are based on 247Sports recruiting rankings.
The Gamecocks finished 21st in the country according to these rankings, making them the 12th-ranked team in the SEC. In the league, USC is behind the Alabama Crimson Tide (1), Georgia Bulldogs (2), Texas Longhorns (4), Texas A&M Aggies (7), Oklahoma Sooners (8), LSU Tigers (9), Florida Gators (12), Tennessee Volunteers (17), Auburn Tigers (18), Missouri Tigers (19) and Ole Miss Rebels (20). The rival Clemson Tigers are in 5th place.
The Gamecocks’ current roster includes three former 5-stars (all signed in the 2023 or 2024 classes), 27 4-star prospects and 47 3-star prospects. If the Total Talent Composite included transfer portal rankings, Carolina would likely be ranked higher than 21st, as players like Kyle Kennard and DeAndre Jules were 4-star transfers after being rated 3-star recruits out of high school. Additionally, All-SEC linebacker Debo Williams was rated a 2-star prospect and not considered.
The Gamecocks have only been ranked as high as 21st (their Total Talent Composite ranking) once since mid-2014, after back-to-back top-10 wins over the Tennessee Volunteers and Clemson Tigers to close out the 2022 regular season. Of course, being ranked 12th in the SEC (and behind Clemson as well) plays a big role in that, but the overall talent on the roster gives the fan base some hope that things will get better in the fall.
The season opener is just 7 days away, as Shane Beamer’s team will welcome the Old Dominion Monarchs to Williams-Brice Stadium on August 31. The game will be broadcast on the SEC Network and streamed on the ESPN app. Kickoff is scheduled for 4:15 p.m. ET.
Next. South Carolina Football: A look at every 5-star player in Gamecocks history. South Carolina Football: A look at every 5-star player in Gamecocks history. dark
