At first Karon Prunty thought it was Photoshopped.

Scrolling Twitter, the Kansas transfer then still deciding his next destination, stumbled on The Cotton Gin’s tweet where the 5 Points bar plastered “We Want Karon Prunty, Go Cocks” on the front of the building and it took him a few minutes to decipher if it was real or not.

It was, and albeit an easy gesture to make for The Cotton Gin—which has kick-started a somewhat new tradition with its marquee messages—spoke to a larger point about the football culture at South Carolina, something Prunty wanted to be part of.

“It’s close to home. South Carolina’s in the SEC and I want to play at the highest level of competition. I have a chance to play early,” Prunty told GamecockCentral. “It’s a football school. There are a lot of fans that treat players well.”

Also see: More notes from practice No. 1 with defensive scoop

In an offseason where the Gamecocks delved into transfer portal waters to land eight total transfers, none might be bigger than adding Prunty into the mix.

The Freshman All-American at Kansas only allowed 15 receptions on 39 targets last season for the Jayhawks, giving up a total of 161 yards his first year on campus against Big 12 offenses.

“They say the Big 12 is the best offenses in college football. I gained experience from that and seeing different kind of pass concepts. I feel good getting that experience under my belt. Now it’s transitioning to SEC offenses.”

Prunty opted to leave Kansas for hopefully greener pastures while trying to get closer to home.

South Carolina ultimately beat out Tennessee for his services, a recruiting win for head coach Shane Beamer, defensive coordinator Clayton White and defensive backs coach Torrian Gray.

Also see: Insider notes from South Carolina's first training camp practice

“They’re all good people. They were the same people,” he said. “Some people act a certain way on a visit to try and get you to a school but they acted the same way throughout the whole process. They talked to me to make sure I’m OK when I’m here.”

Now Prunty will begin work trying to earn a starting cornerback spot in the Gamecocks’ secondary.

He’s been on campus for a few weeks now getting acclimated to workouts, that being the biggest adjustment for him.

“Workouts are really different,” he said. “They hold everybody to a high standard and hold everybody accountable. The big thing is the workouts.”

If Prunty is going to make an impact and chisel out a role as a starter in the secondary, this month is a big one for him.

Camp officially began Friday morning, and Prunty will need to learn the playbook in order to play, something he’s already started since arriving on campus.

Also see: More from Media Day on special teams, depth, more as camp starts

“I’m still adjusting to it and learning it,” he said. “I’m getting a little more comfortable. I’m trying to get comfortable to the point where I can make checks as a defensive back. I’m studying the plays like that but I’m for sure getting better each day.”

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