Southlake (Texas) Carroll class of 2022 three-star wide receiver Landon Samson has an unofficial visit set to South Carolina for the last week of July. But he saw no need to wait until then.
The All-American Bowl selection announced a commitment to the Gamecocks Wednesday, continuing an impressive run of commits for the program.
Wide receivers coach Justin Stepp delivered an offer to the 6-foot-1, 180-pound playmaker two weeks ago and after taking a virtual visit to the school this weekend, Samson jumped at the opportunity.
Samson chooses South Carolina over offers from Baylor, Colorado, Nebraska, UCF and SMU, among others.
He seemed excited about the chance to play in the SEC from the moment Stepp offered.
"They had taken notice of me towards the end of the season and Coach Stepp and (Carroll Head) Coach (Riley) Dodge are really close, so I think that's how that had sort of started," Samson said. "They had followed me on social media for a while. It was pretty exciting. It was my first SEC offer. I got to kind of talk with Coach Dodge about the program and the coaching staff and I really like the staff so far, just building relationships and kind of getting to know them."
Stepp actively recruited the state of Texas during his time at SMU and Arkansas and has built ties that remain in the Lonestar State.
He's made a strong early impression on Samson and has let him know how much he's wanted in Columbia and about the Gamecocks' need at his position.
"He's a really great guy," Samson said. "I feel like I can get along with him really well. He's been talking to me almost every day, actually every day. They're kind of a whole newer staff, that's something he kind of pitched, that they're going to try to bring the program back. They just had a quarterback (commit), I think from the 2022 class, a four-star Braden Davis. That's actually pretty important because I've watched his film and he's really good. He said that I could come in and play as a freshman and that I'm someone he really needs in the receiver room."
At this point, he's only taken an official visit to Nebraska and an unofficial to Ohio State. He'll see South Carolina in person for the first time at the end of July.
Samson is ranked the No. 94 wide receiver in the country and the No. 88 overall prospect in Texas.
As a junior this past season, Samson was the Texas District 4-6A Offensive Player of the Year with 74 receptions for 1,293 yds and 15 touchdowns.
Samson is the second wide receiver commit in the Gamecocks' 2022 class, joining in-state prospect Kylic Horton.
He is the 12th public commit on the Gamecocks' 2022 commit list.
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