The Monthly Catch: July Edition

The Monthly Catch" delivers VIP insights on Gamecocks Athletics, offering exclusive information for dedicated fans. While each edition doesn't cover every sport, it provides valuable and free VIP content on various sports.

The Monthly Catch / by Fisher Brewer

In this month's edition of The Monthly Catch, set for July 8th, 2024, we have a lot of exciting updates for our readers, ranging from recruiting news to team updates.

Football Recruiting:

Four-star wide receiver Lex Cyrus, out of Susquehanna Township High School in Harrisburg, PA, is gearing up for his commitment, which, as of July 8th, is set for July 11th. The speedster, who has run sub-11.00 100-meter times as a junior, including a 10.68, and recorded a junior-best 21.82 in the 200 meters, has attracted over 23 offers. However, he has narrowed his list to two teams: South Carolina and home-state Penn State. The Gamecocks hosted him for his last official visit on June 7th. For a long time, he seemed like a lock for PSU, but after his official visit to Carolina, the situation became more open. The Gamecocks made a strong impression on him. As we get closer to his commitment date, while many around him are pushing for Penn State, there's a significant amount of South Carolina hype. Many believe Lex can see himself as a Gamecock. Nationally, people think Carolina has a shot at landing this star wide receiver, which would be a significant win for new WR coach Mike Furrey, who helped the Gamecocks land four-star WR Brian Rowe.

What’s Next After Shamari Earls:

Sunday evening, the Gamecocks lost an elite recruit in Shamari Earls, ranked as the No. 4 cornerback and No. 19 player in the country, to SEC rival Georgia Bulldogs. This was a significant blow to the class and the Gamecocks.

Despite this setback, hope is not lost for Carolina. The Gamecocks are currently leading for two elite defensive back prospects. Firstly, Lagonza Hayward, ranked as the No. 4 safety, is expected to commit on his birthday, July 27th. His final choice will be between South Carolina, Tennessee, and Florida, with Georgia likely being added to the list on commitment day. He is a top priority for the Bulldogs and is also highly coveted by Tennessee and Florida. However, at this moment, the momentum is in favor of the Gamecocks. This battle appears to be mainly between the Gamecocks and Volunteers, with South Carolina being the current favorite.

The other prospect the Gamecocks lead for is four-star safety Kendall Daniels Jr., who holds 24 offers from schools like Alabama and Clemson. The Gamecocks have been the clear-cut favorite for a while, and after his official visit to South Carolina, many believe he could join the class at any time.

Additionally, the Gamecocks have some promising project recruits in this DB class, such as cornerback Christopher Hatfield and safety Damarcus Leach, who recently earned his fourth star from ESPN and received an offer from Michigan.

The Gamecocks expect to finalize their DB class soon. Initially, they anticipated this happening quicker, with the idea of Shamari Earls being in the class playing a part in the decision to stop communication with four-star cornerback Jontae Gilbert from Atlanta, GA. Gilbert recently included Georgia and NC State in his top school list. Despite this, the Gamecocks aim to finish with another strong class under Torrian Gray.

In other recruiting news, the Gamecocks are targeting former alumni Darren Uscher to be the next Football Executive Director of Recruiting, following the firing of Taylor Edwards. Darren has had stops at schools like Boise State, Auburn, UCLA, and Oregon. He has a strong résumé and has helped many programs move in the right direction. This announcement is expected soon and will be considered an elite pick. Having attended both Georgetown and South Carolina, he has deep ties to the school and is anticipated to fit in well with the staff.

Caleb Williams' New Offer:

Four-star DL commit Caleb Williams received an offer from the University of Georgia just 57 minutes after Shamari Earls flipped from Carolina to Georgia. This left much speculation about what will happen next. Georgia previously offered WR commit Brian Rowe a few months ago after landing QB Ryan Montgomery, who was considered a favorite to land with the Gamecocks for months. Brian is firmly committed to South Carolina, and after talking to those around Caleb, his message has been clear: he’s not flipping. It remains to be seen how badly Georgia wants him or how badly they want to spite South Carolina, but for now, this is good news for the Gamecocks.

Keeping with recruiting, Gamecock LB commit Jaquel Holman is now a four-star recruit and a top 250 overall prospect according to ON3 rankings. Additionally, four-star EDGE commit Jaquavious Dodd moves into the top 150, ranked as the No. 2 player in the state of South Carolina.

Thank you for reading this edition of The Monthly Catch. Stay tuned for more updates and insights as we continue to follow the exciting developments in Gamecock recruiting and team news.

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