South Carolina is one of the nation's emerging hotspots for football talent. The Palmetto State has continually proved to be a source of elite players.
Since the 2006 class, the state has never produced fewer than four ESPNU 150 prospects in any class, and it has been home to 16 Under Armour All-Americans in that game's short history. South Carolina also produced the nation's No. 1 overall prospect in 2008, Clemson defensive end DaQuan Bowers, and is home to the talented Georgia wide receiver A.J. Green. The 2010 class is a good representation of the talent that can be found here on an annual basis. Eight current ESPNU 150 prospects hail from the state, including four Under Armour All-Americans.
Top recruit
The top prospect in the Palmetto State is Marcus Lattimore (Duncan, S.C./Byrnes), one of the top running backs in the nation. The ESPNU 150 back is one of the key players on a very talented team, and he has been on the recruiting radar for some time now. He is coveted by many programs and is considering South Carolina, North Carolina, Oregon and Penn State, along with some others. A reason for much of the interest is the fact that he is a big back who can move well. He is also a well-rounded player and is one the top backs in this class in the passing game. He can be a weapon as a receiver out of the backfield with excellent hands, and he is also a good blocker. We would like to see him improve his yards after contact, but the kid is a pretty complete back who will continue to garner serious attention until he picks a school.
Remember this name
The South Carolina Gamecocks may have landed one of the true sleeper prospects in this class in Brandon Golson (St. Matthews, S.C./Calhoun County), and Steve Spurrier is probably hoping he can keep him a secret until signing day. The defensive end/outside linebacker started playing football only as a junior and had his season cut short by an off-field injury. Still, in that short time, he made a big impression. From the end position, he tallied 18 sacks, you add that production with the fact that he displays a nice wingspan, good quickness and continued upside and you have a real exciting prospect. He needs to keep developing as a player but displays excellent potential. As a senior, he is still terrorizing quarterbacks with double-digit sacks and also flashes his athleticism by returning kicks. Golson will likely play linebacker at South Carolina, but regardless of where he plays, the Gamecocks will want to let him attack the quarterback.
Taking up residence
South Carolina is a rising state for talent, and programs from far and wide come to recruit prospects from here. Programs like Michigan, Maryland and Rutgers have already landed prospects from the Palmetto State thus far. Naturally the talent within the state is great for the two in-state programs as well as the programs in the surrounding states.
South Carolina
The Gamecocks have once again landed some good talent from within their own borders. Four of their top 5 high school prospects are from in-state. One of those is the aforementioned Golson, but the class also includes the nation's No. 2 and No. 4 guard prospects. Those two prospects are Eric Mack (St. Matthews, S.C./Calhoun County), who is a teammate of Golson's, and AJ Cann (Bamberg, S.C./Bamberg-Ehrhardt), a versatile line prospect who could play center for the Gamecocks. Both are Under Armour All-Americans.
Clemson
Much like their in-state counterparts, the Tigers have done well in their backyard. Their top prospect is the state's No. 2-ranked player in Bryant -- a good-sized vertical threat at wide receiver. The class also features four-star athlete DeAndre Hopkins (Central, S.C./D.W. Daniel) who could play in the secondary or at wide receiver for the Tigers.
Tennessee
The Volunteers have only three prospects in their large class from South Carolina, but two of those prospects are among the best in the state. The Vols were able to land teammates DT Brandon Willis (Duncan, S.C./Byrnes) and DE Corey Miller (Duncan, S.C./Byrnes) and both are among the top players in the nation on the defensive line. Willis is a defensive tackle/defensive end who will likely fit best at tackle in Knoxville. He is a pretty sound and solid defender. Miller, an Under Armour All-American, is a player with a great motor and a nice upside. Tennessee should be very happy that it was able to lure away the onetime Florida State commit; he could develop into an excellent college player.
Craig Haubert is the recruiting coordinator for Scouts Inc. and has more than a decade of coaching experience.