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South Carolina Picks Up A Commitment From One Of The Top OTs In The Country

South Carolina's 2023 recruiting class didn't get its first commit until March last year, but the 2024 class saw an early commit in July from QB Dante Reno. But today, January 22, 2023, South Carolina has already picked up its second four-star in the 2024 class, and it's a big one, both physically and what it means for the program going forward. Kam Pringle is a 6'7" 328 lb Tackle who lives right down the road in Dorchester, SC. The Woodland High School big man is more than just your average in-state pick up however, he's already rated as the #2 overall OT in the 2024 class by Rivals, and the #39 player nationally at any position. After a 2023 class that saw several 4-star Rivals250 recruits in the #trenches (a Twitter hashtag that both lines of scrimmage have emphasized), the 2024 class already has one of the highest-rated OL prospects the Gamecocks have ever landed. In fact, if his 6.0 rating stands, he'll be the #1 highest-rated OL recruit since Rivals ratings started in 2002. Surpassing the likes of mainstays like Brandon Shell, Zack Bailey, and Dylan Wonnum who were all 5.9 rated 4-stars. That 6.0 rating would also put Pringle as the highest-rated recruit since 2020's addition of 5-star RB MarShawn Lloyd.

Put simply, this is a big deal, and an incredible start to the 2024 class, which we've pegged for a while as perhaps the one with the most upside given Beamer and his staff's ability to get in on many of these prospects early after arriving in Columbia in 2021. Beamer and his staff truly beat the bluebloods of college football for this one, including a late in-home visit from Georgia coach Kirby Smart just days before his announcement. This class should truly start to see the fruits of those years of labor, and if Pringle is any indication, the harvest could be more bountiful than South Carolina recruiting has seen since the Spurrier era.

As Pringle himself put it in a recent Rivals exclusive interview, "Relationships, location, and opportunity are the big things with South Carolina," he said. "Coach Beamer has done a great job. I don't think I can name a single coach, player, or person in the country who doesn't like him. He's a great guy and always cheerful and motivational. He's done a great job recruiting me ever since he came in."

With the OL group losing 3 veterans in 2023, and several more following this year, the need for a true stud LT is going to be essential, and Pringle could slot into that role almost immediately, as he joins an impressive 2023 class headlined by 4-stars Markee Anderson and Tosin Babalade. There are still several OL in the 2024 class that could join Pringle, including in-state targets Josiah Thompson and Blake Franks.

Pringle himself is already built like a college tackle, though I'm sure his strength will continue to improve as he enters a college weight program. His film shows an ability to out-muscle high school opponents as well as use his feet to move much quicker than any teenager that is over 300 lbs should be able to. We'll have more on this commitment soon.

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