SOUTH CAROLINA GAMECOCKS RECRUITING

South Carolina added one of its top long-time targets to its 2019 class Monday afternoon when Nokesville (Va.) Patriot three-star offensive lineman Jakai Moore announced for the Gamecocks.

GamecockCentral.com was on hand for the ceremony and spoke with former Patriot head coach Brud Bicknell about the type of player and person that the Gamecocks are getting in Moore.

Gamecock Central: What has Jakai meant to your team off the field?

Coach Brud Bicknell: He's a captain this year. When he came to us at the end of his sophomore year from Manassas Park, he knew some kids through AAU basketball, maybe some through youth football, but he was very new to the school. He's certainly gotten everybody's respect, not only guys on the football team, but throughout the entire school. He's just such a nice kid and respectful kid that adults and kids, his peers, think the world of him.

GC: From a coach's eye, what type of skillset does he bring to the field?

BB: Obviously there's the physical aspect of things. He's 6-5, 300 pounds, he's got long arms. I think we measured him and compared him, in the spring, to the NFL Combine guys and his length would be right there with any tackle that's coming out, so there's that.

I think the thing that separates him from other guys is the fact that he plays so hard. He has a little bit of a mean streak that you don't always see from an offensive lineman. He just enjoys trying to be bury guys and being physically dominant.

GC: So he's not going to be one of those guys that's going to shy away from contact...

BB: Absolutely not. It's funny that there wasn't more of a transition to defense, but he plays offensive line kind of like a defensive lineman. He's very aggressive and he's going to have to learn that you can't always do things like that.

GC: Do you know the exact number of offers?

BB: I don't know the exact number. It was over 25 (offers) and it was everybody... We could have padded the number with people. It was Tennessee, Florida, Clemson, Ohio State, Michigan, all the Power 5 guys east of the Mississippi and then USC and Oregon from out west, both offered him, but nothing ever came of it. I'm sure the number could have been whatever we wanted it to be, or whatever he wanted it to be.

GC: What were some of the things that stood out about how South Carolina recruited him?

BB: I think the fact that they were there early. It's pretty amazing that the first two guys - Coach Bowen, who was at Maryland at the time and then went to Penn State and then Coach Wolford - they were probably the first two guys in and they were the most consistent throughout the entire recruiting effort. Very few of the other people seemed to get much traction.

I think Ohio State had some things going and then Coach Meyer got on probation there and I think that hurt them. Just talking to guys, like the Florida and Miami guys, they both loved him but they were never able to gain any traction on him. I think the fact that those guys were in on him early was big and they were the most consistent.

GC: So he was always looking for that connection with a coach...

BB: Yeah, I think as much as anything, because he didn't have an allegiance to the in-state schools. He didn't have a favorite school that he always wanted to go to. He'll tell you he has an idea what he wants to major in, but I think he's like most 18-20-year-old kids, he has no clue what he wants to major in. There was nothing beforehand that he was looking for in a school, other than to try to play big-time football.

GC: What are some parts of his game he'll need to improve on at the next level?

BB: His game is all aggression, so when you're pass blocking, you can't necessarily be aggressive, you have to keep your head out of the block. He's going to have to understand how to combo block a little better that it's not just about burying the guy in front of you, he's got to be able to see linebackers and come off of second-level guys.

Just kind of a greater understanding of the game and the nuances of playing offensive line. But you can't coach them to be athletic like he is and even the aggressiveness that he has.

ALSO SEE: Inside the commitment - Go behind the scenes of Jakai Moore's commitment to South Carolina