SOUTH CAROLINA GAMECOCKS FOOTBALL RECRUITING
The Gamecocks added 18 players Wednesday during the early signing period.
Muschamp gave a breakdown of what he saw in each during the recruiting trail, which are all below.
Ryan Hilinski, QB/Orange Lutheran (6-foot-4, 232 pounds)
"He won multiple national awards as far as the quarterback position is concerned and was an elite 11 finalist. He can really spin it; he did a fantastic job at camp and Dan Werner did a great job with Ryan. Mark and Kim, his parents, are great; it’s a great family. We’re really excited about him coming on campus in January. We really think he’s a good football player and has a lot of intangible qualities you have to have at that position. Looking forward to getting him in camp.”
Also see: Two special Gamecock Central promotions for the early signing period
Kevin Harris, RB/Bradwell Institute (5-foot-10, 230 pounds)
“He really came in and earned his scholarship in camp. We really like his film more and more and weren’t really certain about his top-end speed. He came into came and ran a 4.5 40 and his vertical was 34 inches, which is really good. He’s got a really big lower body, very difficult guy to tackle. when you talk in terms of a power running game, and getting better there and adding some toughness to that position, he does that for us.”
Keveon Mullins, WR/Whitehaven (6-foot-1, 206 pounds)
“he’s a big receiver—6-foot-3, 200-plus pounds—he came to our camp with really good ball skills and a guy we’re really excited about. His mom Sharita’s been great through the recruiting process and we’re excited about getting Keveon on campus.”
Tyquan Johnson, WR/Fork Union (6-foot-3, 180 pounds)
“He did a really nice job this fall, but another guy that came to our camp a year ago and really put up some impressive numbers: 36.5 vertical leap, 10-4 broad jump, a very explosive guy, especially at 6-3, 200-plus pounds. We need to improve our receiver room and I think he’s going to be able to do that.”
Also see: Full updates from Muschamp's signing day press conference
Traevon Kenion, TE/Wake Forest (6-foot-3, 242 pounds)
“A guy that, at the tight end position, we think is really gifted in the throwing game and really added some things to his high school team. When he came to camp the thing I was most impressed wit was his competitive edge. He really competes when he gets on the field. Obviously you see what he did this senior year, and we’re really excited about him.”
Keshawn Toney, TE/Williston-Elko (6-foot-2, 236 pounds)
“He’s a guy we had in camp at 6-foot-3, 240 pounds and he moves extremely well. When you get the feedback from the shrine bowl coaches, that’s one of the things they talk about was how impressed they were with him. I think this guy has tremendous upside and we’re just scratching the surface of what he can do. He played mostly wide out at Williston-Elko but be more of an attached tight end for us. He’s another mid-year enrollee and a guy I think has tremendous upside.”
Mark Fox, OL/Miami Northwestern (6-foot-4, 292 pounds)
“A guy we had in camp that’s very athletic, that we think can be a three-position guy as far as a center, guard or a tackle. He gives you a lot of variety as far as his athleticism is concern. We got to continue to get more athletic on the offensive line and I think that’s something Eric Wolford’s done a good job identifying those guys early in the process and locking in on the guys we need to sign.”
Also see: Gamecock Central's Live NSD Blog
Jakai Moore, OL/Patriot (6-foot-5, 285 pounds)
“We saw him play basketball Friday night. It’s pretty impressive to see 6-foot-4, 300-pounder running up and down the court. He starts on their basketball team and Jakai’s a guy we’ve pinpointed and really enjoyed Friday…he’s a guy that has tremendous upside as a football player. We think his genetic ceiling is very high as far as a guy with a lot sitting in front of him.”
Vincent Murphy, OL/St. Thomas Aquinas (6-foot-2, 290 pounds)
“Vincent was one of the first underclassmen in St. Thomas history to be named a team captain. You talk in terms of leadership ability and a guy we feel like could be a center or guard…his parents have bene great. They visited one of the spring visits we had, which I thought went extremely well. We’re excited about having Vincent.”
Jaylen Nichols, OL/Myers Park (6-foot-4, 310 pounds)
“A big guy that we had in camp right at 6-foot-5, 315 pounds. I watched him practice; I think they were in the third round getting ready to play Vance—and you watch him athletically and his feet change direction, lower body flexibility, it’s extremely impressive with Jaylen. He’s got a huge upside and is going to be a midyear enrollee. He’ll be able to go through spring, which I think will be beneficial for any player.”
Joseph Anderson, DL/Oakland (6-foot-4, 260 pounds)
“He dislocated his elbow in the first game of the year and never missed a snap, so he’s a guy that’s got some toughness about him…I thought a guy that tremendously improved throughout his senior year and played at an extremely high level, especially in the playoffs and was a difficult guy to block. We had some coaches at the state championship game and they were extremely impressed with Joseph and what he did on the field.”
Devontae Davis, DL/Georgia Military (6-foot-4, 280 pounds):
“This goes back about two years . This is why you have camp; you find guys like this. Devontae was at Silver Bluff High School over in Aiken and a guy you see his length, his athleticism. He went to Georgia military and did a fantastic job. He’s actually practicing with us the last two days. You have to go through an NCAA period where you acclimate yourself. He’s only in helmets and hasn’t been in pads yet. I think he’ll get in shells tomorrow and shells Friday. Then we’ll have a helmets practice Saturday. He’s big and athletic with a big frame. I’m really excited to finally have Devontae here.”
Zacch Pickens, DL/ T.L. Hanna (6-foot-5, 290 pounds)
“He did about everything for them, had close to 1,000 yards rushing. He’s a fantastic defensive end and a guy that’s bringing a lot to our program. He won about every award there is in the state of south Carolina as far as high school awards here in the state. He could have gone anywhere he wanted to go but stayed home in the state of south Carolina and play for his state school.”
Also see: Muschamp updates injuries, bowl practice
Rodricus Fitten, LB/Booker T. Washington (6-foot-2, 232 pounds)
“He’s a twitch guy on the edge, something very similar to what I would say Bryson Allen-Williams in a guy that gives you a faster twitch on the edge. He committed ot us and was really our first commitment in this class, I think September of 2017, but has stuck with us ever since. He had a tremendous year and a guy we think has tremendous upside.”
Derek Boykins, LB/Central Cabarrus (6-foot-2, 208 pounds)
“This is a guy that played wildcat quarterback, running back, linebacker, safety. He’s a very explosive guy and having him in camp and seeing his movement skills, we’re really excited about him and his upside. He’s originally from Beaufort and grew up a gamecock so we’re excited about him coming home.
Jahmar Brown, LB/St. Thomas Aquinas (6-foot, 195 pounds)
“Really impressed with him in camp. He’s got 33-inch arms, 11-inch hands and we think has tremendous upside. As far as his structure’s concerned we think he’ll be more 215-20 pound guy here in a year or so. He’s got really good athleticism, really smart and directs the defense the last three years. Jason Taylor’s their defensive coordinator, I coached him on the dolphins, and thinks he’s a really smart play and getting his body aligned and can man the defense. That’s something that excites me.”
John Dixon, CB/Chamberlain (5-foot-11, 180 pounds)
“Two years ago we had John in camp and felt like he was one of the best cover corners we’ve seen in our camps. He had a patella issue in his knee his senior year and really didn’t play a lot and wasn’t healthy through the entire season. We know what John can do when he’s healthy. We think he’s a lockdown corner and a guy with tremendous upside we’re excited about john being a part of the program.
Cam Smith, CB/Westwood (6-foot, 171 pounds)
"Again, he’s a guy that came to camp and ran a sub-4.5 forty, 36 vertical, 10.5 broad. Those are NFL numbers at the combine as far as your explosiveness and power as a 6-foot-1 corner at 185 pounds. Cam’s got a huge upside. He will be a midyear enrollee. He doesn’t have anything wrong with his shoulder. I know there were some claims out there that he had all kinds of shoulder injuries but he’s fine. He will actually be playing in the Army game.”