The SEC announced last week student athletes will be allowed back on campus in early June for voluntary workouts, one step closer to having football in the fall.
Included in the decision was the fact freshmen who haven't enrolled yet would be allowed on campus. That means almost all of the Gamecocks' remaining members of the 2020 class will be arriving on campus sometime over the next month.
Before they do, here's a look at who they are and what Will Muschamp thinks about them.
*Note: ZaQuandre White, who isn't expected on campus until August, is not included in the article*
Rashad Amos, RB
Height/weight: 6-foot, 213 pounds
School: Sandy Creek (Ga.)
Senior info: Rushed for over 1,000 yards, flipped from Western Kentucky to South Carolina
Also see: Gamecocks pushing hard for top 75 big man
What Will Muschamp said: “We got on Rashad a little late. We liked him in the spring heading into his senior year, and that’s why you can’t lose track of guys. Matt Lindsey and his staff did a really good job of continuing to track him through his senior year. He’s a hard runner, tough and from a great program at Sandy Creek. Obviously we signed Joey Hunter as well. What a great program to come from. Coach Garvin does a great job. We had his entire family here this weekend and it was really good to see them. They’ve come to a couple games but he’s a guy we got on a little later in the season and he committed to us later in December. We’re excited about him being a Gamecock.”
Jaheim Bell, TE
Height/weight: 6-foot-2, 207 pounds
School: Valdosta (Ga.)
Senior info: Missed part of his senior year with torn ACL, had 210 receiving yards before getting injured
What Will Muschamp said: “He’s a really explosive guy with a 36-inch vertical leap. His role this fall will be very similar to what he did at Valdosta. They played him outside, they played him inside, and they can use him as an H-back type offensively. He gives you a lot of things. He can carry the ball, coach Rodemaker there was a defensive guy and they put him at defense some too and played really well there. He caught my eye, that’s for sure. He and Dolores, his mom, were great in the recruitment process. He tore his ACL, which really hurt his season. They ended up making the third round of the playoffs and lost to Richmond Hill. He’s a very explosive guy. I watched him play basketball as a junior. He actually tore down the basketball goal there at Tiff County High School one night. He’s just an explosive guy and a really good athlete.”
Jordan Burch, DE
Height/weight: 6-foot-5, 265 pounds
School: Hammond School (S.C.)
Senior info: Under Armor All-American, No. 17 overall player in the country
What Will Muschamp said: “It's a great way to close out our 2020 signing class with Jordan Burch deciding to stay home and play for the University of South Carolina. He is a wonderful person and I'm excited that he will be part of the Gamecock family. We really appreciate his mother, Henri, trusting us and sending her son to the in-state school. Jordan is an explosive athlete, extremely smart and versatile player who can do a lot of things on the football field and I can't wait to coach him."
Ger-Cari Caldwell, WR
Height/weight: 6-foot-4, 195 pounds
School: Northwestern (S.C.)
Senior info: 51 receptions, 744 yards, seven TDs, Shrine Bowl participant, 5A All-state team
What Will Muschamp said: “He had an unbelievable senior season. Page Wofford, who was the offensive coordinator at Daniel and went to Northwestern and installed an offense where they threw the ball an awful lot. They do a really nice job throwing it and Ger-Cari ended up with 51 catches and kept coming onto the screen for us in the fall. We got more and more excited about him. Then you meet him and see the type of young man he is and what he stands for…we just hit it off when we met. He came unofficially and came back for an official visit. We’re really excited to add a guy from the Rock Hill area to our football team. Obviously it’s a hot bed of South Carolina football.”
Also see: Breaking down the linebacker room this offseason
Gilber Edmond, DE
Height/weight: 6-foot-4, 215 pounds
School: Westwood (Fla.)
Senior info: 80 tackles, 22 tackles for loss, 17 sacks, four fumble recoveries, one interception
What Will Muschamp said: “He kind of came on our radar a little late, about two and a half or three weeks ago. I wanted to add another linebacker to our class and he’s about 6-3, 205 (pounds) but can really play in space and can really run. Jeff George is his head coach. In talking with him, he’s the type of young man we want on our football team. we went down and saw him the last couple weeks in January and really felt good about him and were able to know we’ll have a spot available and wanted to extend that.”
Tonka Hemingway, DE
Height/weight: 6-foot-2, 259 pounds
School: Conway (S.C.)
Senior info: 92 tackles, 24 tackles for loss and four sacks, Shrine Bowl participant
What Will Muschamp said: “He played for Carlton Terry over there…His brother went to Michigan and that was too far away. I heard too many stories about driving to Ann Arbor from Conway. That’s a little bit too far of a drive and Kenny wasn’t doing that anymore. It’s interesting with Tonka. He’s a basketball player in the winter and he’s a pitcher and first baseman in the spring. So I don’t know how much in the weight room he’s getting. When he gets in the weight room and does it full time and gets on a training table, I’m interested to see where his body’s going to go. He’s a great athlete and a 4.0 student. He’s a guy who we’re really excited to keep in state.”
Joey Hunter, DB
Height/weight: 6-foot, 197 pounds
School: Sandy Creek (Ga.)
Senior info: Injuries ended senior season prematurely
What Will Muschamp said: “He comes from a great program. He knows about work, he knows about winning. He had a shoulder issue during the season and had that scoped and fixed. He’ll be ready to go when he gets on campus during the spring. He’s a guy that gives you position multiplicity to be able to play multiple spots on the back end. He’s extremely intelligent.”
Alex Huntley, DT
Height/weight: 6-foot-3, 279 pounds
School: Hammond School (S.C.)
Senior info: Army All-American, Mr. Richland County Player of the Year, 16 tackles (seven sacks) as junior
What Will Muschamp said: “I have a unique relationship with Alex. I saw him as a freshman…at 280 pounds running up and down the field. Obviously with my son Jackson being at Hammond. He’s a big athlete who’s very flexible in his lower body. He’s very powerful in his lower body. I saw him continue to grow and mature there at Hammond. Erik Kimery, the head coach there, does a fantastic job. To watch this guy grow through the process…he’s been raised right and excited about him joining our program. The guy’s the student body president at Hammond. He didn’t enter Hammond until the ninth grade, and that tells you a lot about the type of positive impact he can have on other people and what he’ll do in our locker room. I’m really excited about him.”
Rico Powers, WR
Height/weight: 6-foot-1, 183 pounds
School: Hapeville Charter Academy (Ga.)
Senior info: 23 receptions, 478 yards (20.8 yards per reception), four touchdowns
What Will Muschamp said: “He’s a very explosive guy with a 35-inch vertical, over a 10-foot broad (jump) and runs extremely well. He was at Savannah Benedictine High School and transferred to Hapeville his senior year. He played for coach Gordon there and J.J. Enagbare came from that high school and has had a fantastic career here at South Carolina. Rico’s an explosive guy, has a lot of length and is the starting point guard on their basketball team. He’s over 6-2 and a guy we really think can stretch the field vertically as we continue to replenish ourselves at the receiver position.”
Also see: More on the hoops team returning to campus
Makius Scott, DT
Height/weight: 6-foot-3, 306 pounds
School: Gainesville (Ga.)
Senior info: No. 49 overall defensive tackle in class
What Will Muschamp said: “He’s another guy who came to came and earned the offer. We liked his tape and wanted to see him move around. He’s got good feet and change of direction and good length in his upper body. We think he’s going to be a real good inside technique. Emerald and Albert, his parents, came this weekend. This guy has a huge upside as an athlete. He’s another guy you go watch play basketball and you see him bend and change direction and come off the floor for a big guy that’s 300-plus (pounds), it’s impressive to see his athleticism.
Eric Shaw, TE
Height/weight: 6-foot-4, 205 pounds
School: Reeltown (Ala.)
Senior info: Two-way prospect (TE/LB), No. 16 overall tight end in class
What Will Muschamp said: “He’s 6-3, 6-4 and about 210 (pounds). He’s a guy that’s a high jumper at over 6-foot. His long jump is over 20 feet. He’s a very explosive guy. They played for the state title this year. They were undefeated going into this game. Eric and Wanda, his parents, have been great in the process. Matt Johnson’s a guy I’ve known for a real long time at Reeltown High School. He’s another explosive guy. He can play defense, can play outside backer. He wants to play tight end, and that’s what we’re going to play him as. He’s a guy with a big frame and a real good athlete we’re excited about.”
