What Shane Beamer said about South Carolina's seven signees
It might not be a 20-man, top 10 class Shane Beamer wanted to sign this year, but the first signees of the Beamer era in Columbia are officially inked.
The Gamecocks landed seven players officially Wednesday, the start of the signing period for football, all of whom were committed to the previous staff.
Beamer has been working to keep the 2021 class intact and add new people into the fold, and spoke Wednesday about what the Gamecocks are getting in each player.
Nick Barrett, DL
Height and weight: 6-3, 329 pounds
School: Goldsboro (N.C.)
What Beamer said: "He’s got great size: 6-foot-3 and a half, 325 pounds. He’s really athletic, great length, has long arms. That’s what you’re looking for on the defensive line position. He’s a guy that can play inside and has a lot of great initial quickness. When you watch defensive linemen you’re watching their get off, how they’re able to strike people and knock offensive linemen back. That jumps off the tape with him. He’s a real solid, high-character guy that’s going to be an asset not only on the field but in the locker room. Because they didn’t play high school football up there that we really feel like as a staff if he had played —I don’t put a whole lot of stock of where guys are ranked—is a guy that would have certainly sky rocketed up the rankings if he had played.”
O'Mega Blake, WR
Height and weight: 6-1, 188 pounds
School: South Pointe (S.C.)
What Beamer said: "Any time you get a player from South Pointe High School you’ve done something well. There’s a long line of great players that came from South Pointe High School. He’s just the next one. I hope the next of many, many more. He comes from a great program and is getting coached by a great player up there in DeVontae Holloman…I really enjoyed talking to DeVonate over the last few weeks and want to commend him for a great program he’s running. I’m excited about O’Mega and what he brings to the table. He’s multi-talented and can do a lot of things. He’s very productive. He’s a guy you enjoy talking to. I think he and I FaceTimed back and forth seven times Sunday bout different things about calling and wanting to talk. I’m really excited about his desire to join the program.”
Jordan Davis, OL
Height and weight: 6-5, 300 pounds
School: Creekside (Ga.)
What Beamer said: “He’s another one who has a lot of positional versatility. He can play offensive tackle. He’s played either side at tackle and can play offensive guard as well. He’s got a lot of upside and potential as well. He’s as big man but has athleticism. He’s a guy whose best football is ahead of him.”
Marcellas Dial, DB
Height and weight: 5-11, 177 pounds
School: Georgia Military (JUCO)
What Beamer said: “He’s another South Carolina guy, originally from Woodruff. There are a lot of positions of need, but defensive back is an area we have to improve our depth and get some more guys in there. I enjoyed visiting with him. We got so many FaceTime calls over the last couple weeks and his energy doesn’t go up and down every time we talk to him. He’s excited, he’s energized and he’s got some length at the position that allows us flexibility to play press coverage as a defensive back and playing off. He’s a great long jumper in high school. He’s got great athleticism.”
Colten Gauthier, QB
Height and weight: 6-3, 214 pounds
School: Hebron Christian Academy (Ga.)
What Beamer said: “Our very first signee this morning. As the head coach at South Carolina, he’ll be the very first signee that came in. he’s a really productive football player: a three year starter who’s thrown for over 2,000 yards every single season as a starter. The one thing I want to commend him for and am really excited about was he’s the type of guy that’s a leader you can build a program around. He did an amazing job of keeping this class intact. He did an amazing job of recruiting other players as well that weren’t committed. We’re excited about what he brings to the table.”
Caleb McDowell, RB
Height and weight: 5-8, 180 pounds
School: Lee County (Ga.)
What Beamer said: “Just a heck of a playmaker. He’s versatile, tough, dynamic with the ball in his hands. He can be a weapon out of the backfield, which is what we’re excited about. He’s got an edge to himself and has some speed as well. We’re really pumped about him being a Gamecock and the instant impact he’ll have on the field.”
Sam Reynolds, WR
Height and weight: 5-8, 170 pounds
School: Thompson (Ala.)
What Beamer said: "A great athlete from over in Alabama. He’s a guy that’s just a playmaker. He can do a lot of different things. He can play in the slot at the receiver position. He can be your third down back. As a guy with a special teams background I’m excited about his potential in the return game and what he brings to that. He comes from a great program in Thompson that just won a state title. He’s used to winning and I like that. We have a lot of guys who are used to winning and being successful. We’re excite about adding Sam to the program.”