Atlanta-area newcomers could provide immediate help
Throughout the offseason, coach Will Muschamp has spoke frankly about the need for incoming newcomers to help the South Carolina defense this season.
Some of that help will very likely come from the Atlanta area where Muschamp was Tuesday for the latest stop on the Gamecock Club's Spurs Up tour.
Grayson (Ga.) four-star cornerback Jamyest Williams and Tucker (Ga.) four-star defensive end Aaron Sterling, who will enroll this summer, are considered two of the jewels of the Gamecocks' 2017 class.
Williams, ranked the No. 159 overall prospect in his class, should make a push for playing time at both the nickelback and punt return positions.
"Jam is a guy that we're really excited about," Muschamp said Tuesday. "Jam. I felt like is probably the best player in Gwinnett County the last two or three years. I saw him early there at Archer and then this past year at Grayson. We've got a lot of confidence in him."
Sterling, ranked the No. 14 defensive tackle in the country but slated to start out at defensive end, could provide some of the pass-rush punch that Carolina severely needs.
"Aaron is a guy we're really excited about who was a very good player at Tucker," Muschamp said. "Got them to the state championship game. Has got really great initial quickness and a guy we're expecting to come in and compete and I know he will."
Branching out from the Atlanta area, South Carolina also signed Dallas (Ga.) North Paulding four-star wide receiver Chad Terrell, Madison (Ga.) Morgan County four-star defensive tackle M.J. Webb and Athens (Ga.) Clarke Central three-star safety Zay Brown for six total newcomers from the state.
Don't expect the focus on the Peach State to stop there for the Gamecocks, who have 29 players on the roster from Georgia, according to Muschamp.
He also points out that there were 29 players taken in the NFL Draft earlier this month and that Atlanta offers South Carolina's largest out-of-state contingent of graduates, other than Charlotte.
Because of that, South Carolina cascades the state with five recruiters and treats Atlanta like an in-state territory.
"Moving forward, we've really got to recruit the state of Georgia well," Muschamp said. "There's so many good players and outstanding coaches in this state. It's really important to be here, to have a presence here."