Top DE Jordan Burch Sticks with South Carolina

Coveted defensive end Jordan Burch went public with his final selection in the recruiting process, sticking with South Carolina over LSU.

Jordan Burch is staying home. Officially. 

That last part was all that separated the SI All-American from making his verbal commitment to South Carolina on December 18 and signing a Letter of Intent for the program on February 5. He did so alongside Hammond School classmates and teammates including fellow Gamecock signee Alex Huntley and Jackson Muschamp, the quarterback and son of USC coach Will Muschamp, who is headed to play at Georgia. 

In between, the Hammond School defensive end of course visited LSU with his mother over three days for an unofficial visit in late January. After admitting LSU finished second to USC in the original recruitment, speculation spiked about the 6-foot-4, 270-pound star playing in the SEC West. But the final weekend of the recruiting cycle he was back in Columbia for his official visit. 

It was enough to recapture his recruitment for good. 

Burch originally made his Gamecock pledge between five programs including LSU, Clemson, Georgia and Alabama in addition to USC. In making the initial pick and following through nearly two months later, he becomes the highest-ranked prospect to sign with the school since Jadeveon Clowney -- each slightly ahead of running back Marcus Lattimore according to the recruiting industry as a whole (247Sports Composite). 

A two-way player through his senior season with time at running back and quarterback in addition to his defensive end duty, Burch was also an Under Armour All-America Game participant. While checking in for the event, he told reporters why he picked South Carolina in the first place. 

“I feel like a big priority,” Burch said. “The offense wasn’t really clicking well and the defense is getting better, so I feel like the next step to bringing the program to where it needs to be is having me at the defensive end spot.” 

USC signed 17 prospects during the Early Signing Period in one of the top hauls in the SEC East led by quarterback Luke Doty and running back MarShawn Lloyd, who are each already enrolled at the school.

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