Once the dead period ends in September, South Carolina will keep pushing to finish its 2027 class - but the Gamecocks are already working well ahead of that, with offers spread across the state in the 2028 and 2029 groups.
The 2027 class already includes three in-state commitments in offensive lineman Nate Carson, James Ross and linebacker Jackson Ross. Beyond that, South Carolina has put itself in the mix with a growing list of future prospects, and several of those recruits have already made their way to Columbia.
In the 2028 class, tight end Riggs Savage of Powdersville/Greenville landed his South Carolina offer on May 5, and his recruitment has surged since the start of the year. Louisville, Georgia Tech, Indiana, Penn State, UCLA and others have joined the list.
The 6-foot-5.5, 225-pound Savage visited Columbia for Cocky-Palooza in May, and he described the offer to Gamecock247 this way: "It was great," Savage said. "I knew coach (Shawn) Elliott was coming.
I sort of knew in my head he's going to come for the first part of practice and if I moved well and look fluid, he was going to offer me. If I don't, he won't and he will see me up at camp.
I moved pretty good, and he offered me. First SEC offer and first in-state offer.
It's just great."
Savage has already locked in a return trip for South Carolina’s matchup against Mississippi State. He also plans to be in Virginia for its Week 0 game against North Carolina State.
Another 2028 name drawing major attention is EDGE Christian Webb-Scott of Westside/Anderson. At 6-foot-6 and 250 pounds, he’s ranked by 247Sports as the No. 106 overall player in the country, the No. 12 defensive lineman and the top prospect in South Carolina. South Carolina was first to jump in, offering him on June 14, 2024, and the list has since grown to include Alabama, Arkansas, Auburn, Florida, Florida State, Georgia, LSU, Miami, Oregon and Texas, among others.
After a strong showing at the Charlotte Under Armour Camp stop, Webb-Scott spoke about what the Gamecocks mean to him. "It definitely is a big offer for me," he said. "It's my first one, so I have a deep connection with them."
He also pointed to his relationship with Deion Barnes and said, "Coach Barnes, I really like him," he said. "I like his philosophy.
They're definitely high on the list. They've been talking to me, getting me on campus since I was in eighth grade."
Webb-Scott hasn’t settled on which games he’ll attend, but he told Gamecock247 he "definitely" plans to make it to Columbia for a couple of games.
South Carolina’s 2029 board already includes a familiar name in Bear Woods, the brother of current Gamecocks quarterback Cutter Woods. The Gamecocks offered him on March 21, and Woods later came to Columbia with his Westside teammates for a 7-on-7 camp this summer. The 6-foot-4, 190-pound quarterback has also picked up offers from Louisville, Maryland, North Carolina, Syracuse and Virginia Tech, among others, after throwing for just over 2,300 yards last season.
Another in-state 2029 prospect to know is Carter Nash of Dorman/Roebuck. He earned his South Carolina offer after an impressive camp showing this summer. The 5-foot-11, 190-pound running back is also a baseball standout, and he heads into his junior season with North Carolina and Samford as his other offers.
South Carolina also offered Malachi Debnam, who transferred this summer from Easley High School to Greenville High School, on May 6. The 6-foot-3, 186-pound wide receiver has collected offers from Arkansas, Auburn, Georgia, Georgia Tech, Kentucky, Miami, Penn State and Tennessee, too.
Debnam told Gamecock247, "This one was definitely huge," Debnam said. "South Carolina has been on my mind.
I really like their culture and how they run things down there in South Carolina. Mainly, the thing that sticks out to me with this offer is that they see something in me."
Last season, Debnam caught 22 passes for 216 yards and a touchdown in six games at Easley, and he and his Greenville teammates camped at South Carolina this summer.
Corey Miller of Dutch Fork/Columbia picked up his South Carolina offer in January, and his list has since exploded with Alabama, Auburn, Florida, Florida State, Georgia, Miami, Michigan, Oklahoma, Ole Miss and Oregon also in the mix. Last season at Irmo High School, Miller had 30 catches for 549 yards.
South Carolina’s 2029 list also includes Jordan Lewis, who picked up an offer from the Gamecocks on June 5. The 6-foot-4, 285-pound prospect later returned to Columbia to spend time with the Gamecocks during a camp session. Wake Forest, Florida State, Alabama, North Carolina, Georgia Tech, Virginia Tech, Auburn and Tennessee are also listed among his offers.
In Other News...
Clemson Let A Playmaker Walk And It Still Raises Questions
Clemsons secondary took a notable hit in January when Ricardo Jones left for Vanderbilt, a move that still lingers because of what he meant to the Tigers defense a season ago. Jones led Clemson with six interceptions in 13 games, and his ability to make plays on the ball made him one of the more disruptive defensive backs in the ACC, even as Clemson moved quickly to patch the hole with transfer safeties Jerome Carter III and Corey Myrick.
Now at Vanderbilt, Jones is already drawing notice from within the program, with coach Clark Lea and defensive tackle Issa Ouattara both pointing to the impact he has made. For South Carolina fans keeping an eye on Clemson's roster churn, it is another reminder that playmakers can leave a bigger void than the depth chart suggests, especially when a defender has a knack for changing games at the back end. [Read more 🡒]
South Carolina Camp Will Decide Who Really Helps LaNorris Sellers
South Carolina heads into preseason camp with plenty of attention on the offense, and the list of names worth tracking is longer than just LaNorris Sellers and Nyck Harbor. The quarterback is the obvious focal point, but the Gamecocks are also sorting through the rest of the roster to see which newcomers and returners can carve out real roles as the season approaches. DJ Black, Darius Gray and Jayden Gibson are among the players drawing notice for what they might add in 2026, giving this camp a longer view than the usual August competition.
The challenge for the staff is figuring out which of those pieces can actually help Sellers when the games start to matter. Coaches and players have already pointed to the skills and readiness of several offensive options, but camp is where promise turns into proof, especially for a group still trying to define its pecking order. For South Carolina, the next few weeks are less about hype than about identifying who can handle the work and make life easier for the quarterback. [Read more 🡒]
Jadeveon Clowney Just Added Another Chapter To South Carolina's Legacy
Jadeveon Clowney is headed back to Houston on a one-year deal, reuniting with the franchise that made him the No. 1 overall pick in 2014. For South Carolina fans, it is another reminder of how much the Gamecocks modern football identity still travels through Clowney, whose name remains tied to one of the most influential careers the program has produced.
Clowney spent last season with the Dallas Cowboys, where he led the team with 8.5 sacks, and he has bounced across multiple NFL stops since leaving Houston in 2019. Even now, he still carries several South Carolina records, and every new move adds another layer to a pro career that keeps sending attention back to Columbia, even when the next stop is still unfolding. [Read more 🡒]
