Gamecock Digest

Elite CB Samari “Smoke”Matthews Includes South Carolina in Top School List

2026 CB Samari Matthews from Huntersville, NC has narrowed down his list of prospective schools.

Fisher Brewer

Elite DB Samari 'Smoke' Matthews during a visit to South Carolina on January 21, 2024.
Elite DB Samari 'Smoke' Matthews during a visit to South Carolina on January 21, 2024. / Samari 'Smoke' Matthews on IG

Samari Matthews, the highly touted 2026 defensive back from North Carolina, has narrowed his college choices to an impressive list of 11 schools. These schools include South Carolina, Florida State, Oregon, North Carolina, Florida, Ohio State, Notre Dame, Clemson, Tennessee, Virginia Tech, and Penn State. This selection comes after paring down from over 38 offers.

Ranked as the No. 5 cornerback prospect in the nation, Matthews has been a primary target for the Gamecocks, who have actively pursued him for quite some time. Many believe that South Carolina is well-positioned to secure Matthews, potentially placing them among his top two or three choices.

To date, Matthews has visited South Carolina three times, the same number of visits he has made to North Carolina. His most recent visit to South Carolina occurred on June 13, 2024, following a trip to Tennessee just ten days later on June 23, 2024. Notably, he also participated in the Shane Beamer football 7v7 tournament in Columbia, SC, where his performance garnered attention and provided the coaching staff with an up-close evaluation of his skills.

Elite DB Samari Matthews during a high school football game.
Elite DB Samari Matthews during a high school football game. / by Ian Martin | @mcimedia_

South Carolina emerges as a strong contender in Matthews' recruitment process, demonstrating their serious pursuit of the talented cornerback known as "Smoke."

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Fisher Brewer

FISHER BREWER

Fisher has been covering the Gamecocks for 5 years as a freelancer under the name of USCTalk, a popular page in the Carolina community that led to his first reporting job for Rivals.com. He left to go back to being a freelancer and then, a year later, joined the Sports Illustrated family in January 2023.

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