South Carolina Football

South Carolina announced Thursday that defensive tackle Jordan Burch has officially signed his letter of intent with the team.

The 5-star recruit is considered the No. 8 overall player in the 2020 class, according to 247Sports. 

Though Burch first committed to the Gamecocks during the early signing period in December, his recruitment remained open before he actually signed Thursday.

The Columbia native took an official visit to LSU in January, per Shea Dixon of 247Sports, creating doubts about his previous commitment.

Marc Ryan of ESPN Upstate reported local coaches felt it was an "80-20" chance he ended up flipping to LSU.

With Burch receiving attention from nearly every top team in college football, including offers from Alabama, Clemson, Oklahoma and Georgia, there was a lot of uncertainty about his future.

However, he reaffirmed his commitment to South Carolina Thursday, much to the delight of the program:

Burch should be a difference-maker on the field thanks to his athleticism and advanced technique as an interior lineman. The 6'5", 275-pound prospect has as much upside as almost anyone in the class.

This makes it a huge addition for a Gamecocks squad that finished 4-8 last season and has only one top-50 scoring defense in four years under head coach Will Muschamp. The latest addition could help turn things around in a hurry as the squad tries to return to contention in the SEC East.

South Carolina landed a big commit when Jordan Burch picked the school Wednesday, but the defensive end did not sign during the early signing period, per Tom VanHaaren of ESPN.

The sport's early signing period ran from Wednesday to Friday, but Burch will apparently wait until the regular signing period on Feb. 5 to sign his letter of intent.

Burch is considered a 5-star recruit and the No. 5 overall player in the 2020 class, per 247Sports.

At 6'5", 275 pounds with great strength and athleticism, Burch has a chance to make a major impact at the next level and unsurprisingly drew plenty of attention from colleges around the country.

The South Carolina native eventually selected the Gamecocks over a loaded group of finalists that included Alabama, Clemson, Georgia and LSU.

Considering the team went just 4-8 this past season, Burch could be a program-changer.

However, by not signing he, can still be contacted by other coaches for the next six weeks. This could be a concern for some South Carolina fans, but his high school coach believes its just about him waiting for the next period rather than second-guessing his decision.

"I think Jordan and (fellow Gamecocks commit Alex Huntley) value signing with their teammates, and to me that's a reason they decided not to sign early," Hammond coach Erik Kimrey said, per David Cloninger of the Post and Courier.

You can expect South Carolina coach Will Muschamp to be holding his breath until Burch does official sign.

The South Carolina Gamecocks got a nice boost to its 2020 recruiting class when 5-star defensive end Jordan Burch committed to play in Columbia at the next level on Wednesday.

247Sports ranks the 6'5", 250-pound lineman as the second-best recruit at his position and the No. 5 overall prospect in the country. 

Prior to committing to the Gamecocks, Burch was being recruited by the likes of Alabama, Clemson, Georgia and LSU. South Carolina had the 20th-ranked recruiting class in 2020, per 247Sports, and should only move up the rankings with Burch now in the fold.

South Carolina had to battle in-state rival Clemson for Burch's services, but ultimately, the Gamecocks' coaching staff may have been the difference-maker.

"South Carolina visit was nice. Coach Muschamp showed me around and showed me everything," Burch told The State's Lou Bezjak in March 2018. "I enjoyed talking football with coach Muschamp, and it made me think about recruiting."

It was clear the Gamecocks were in the mix early on, and they found a way to close the deal.

Although Clemson may have more team success than South Carolina in recent years, the Gamecocks have proven they can put stars in a position to be a top pick in the NFL draft. It may have come under a different coaching staff, but Jadeveon Clowney was the No. 1 overall pick out of South Carolina in 2014.

Comparing Burch to Clowney would not be fair at this point, but it's clear he has the skill set to be a game-changer on the defensive side of the football.  

The South Carolina Gamecocks officially added a significant piece to their future backfield on Wednesday when running back prospect MarShawn Lloyd joined their 2020 recruiting class by signing his letter of intent. 

Lloyd, who checks in at 5'9" and 211 pounds, is a 4-star prospect. He is the No. 39 overall player, No. 7 running back and No. 3 player from the state of Maryland in his class, per 247Sports' composite rankings.

He announced his decision to join South Carolina on his Twitter page in May:

"I like (running backs) coach (Thomas) Brown, and coach (Will) Muschamp is a great coach," he said before making his decision, per Hale McGranahan of 247 Sports. "I am building a relationship with both of them, and it is going well."

He is one of the running backs in the 2020 class with the potential to compete for All-American status and notable individual recognition, and he could slide into his new team's backfield as soon as his freshman season.

Lloyd's size and physicality jumps out, which will help him convert difficult short-yardage situations to keep drives alive and turn red-zone opportunities into touchdowns at the goal line.

However, he is more than just a between-the-tackles bruiser and possesses the burst to hit holes and enough elusiveness in the open field when he gets to the second level to make tacklers miss. He also has enough speed to feature on all three downs and attracted the attention of some of the best programs in the nation during his recruiting process.

The list of interested schools on 247 Sports featured Ohio State, Penn State and Maryland but also included the likes of Alabama, Florida, Michigan, Clemson and Notre Dame, among others, at one point.

South Carolina beat out those other contenders, securing one of the best players in this recruiting cycle and someone who can anchor its offense in the coming seasons as it competes in the SEC East.

The Gamecocks were an ugly 4-8 in 2019 and have fallen behind the likes of Georgia, Florida and even Tennessee in the division. 

Landing playmakers like Lloyd on the recruiting trail is an ideal way to change that and will be important in closing the gap with those teams in the SEC East, as well as powerhouses such as Alabama, LSU and Auburn in the SEC West.

South Carolina Gamecocks quarterback Jake Bentley announced Monday he'll be transferring from the school this offseason:

Bentley, a senior, appeared in just one game this season, throwing for 142 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions in a 24-20 loss against North Carolina on Aug. 31. A season-ending foot injury cut his year short after that game, however.

Despite the injury, Bentley still had an impact on the Gamecocks this season, as head coach Will Muschamp said in October, per Jordan James of 247Sports.com:

"He's being a great teammate. He's helping these young quarterbacks. He's not been able to travel with us, as far as when we fly and drive long distances. Our training staff has not wanted him to do that. He's been at all of our home games and all of our practices and all of our meetings. In the training room constantly supporting our guys. He's been exactly who you think he’d be."

For his career, Bentley has thrown for 7,527 yards, 55 touchdowns and 32 interceptions, completing 62.5 percent of his passes. Due to only playing one game this season, however, he'll have another year of eligibility and can switch programs without having to sit a year as a graduate transfer.

That will give Bentley the opportunity to seek out a contending team in need of an experienced upgrade at quarterback. In his four years at South Carolina, the Gamecocks have gone just 26-25. While the team went 9-4 in 2017 and won the Outback Bowl over Michigan, they've gone just 4-8 this season. 

That means that a pair of freshmen this past season—Ryan Hilinski (2,357 yards, 11 touchdowns and five interceptions) and Dakereon Joyner (168 passing yards, 107 rushing yards and a touchdown, six receptions for 46 yards)—will battle for the starting gig next season.

Hilinski mostly handled the starting duties this year, with injuries limiting Joyner. But the athletic and versatile Joyner should have the chance to earn a larger role, or even the starting job, this spring. 

Incoming 4-star quarterback Luke Doty is another player to throw into the mix at the position next season. South Carolina will have options in the post-Bentley era. 

South Carolina athletic director Ray Tanner released a statement Friday in support of head football coach Will Muschamp despite the Gamecocks' 4-6 record. 

"Today, I want to make it clear that Will Muschamp is our football coach and will be our coach going forward," Tanner said, per ESPN. "President [Robert] Caslen and I are fully supportive of his leadership and his development of student-athletes on and off the field."

South Carolina's loss to Appalachian State put the team's back against the wall to secure a bowl berth. It must now defeat Texas A&M on the road and No. 3 Clemson in order to finish 6-6.

Muschamp has led the Gamecocks to a 26-23 record across four seasons. Each of his first three years resulted in a bowl berth, but they went just 1-2 in those postseason games.

The 48-year-old Georgia native said the lack of a deep threat in the passing game has really limited the team's offensive upside throughout the campaign.

"You become very predictable, obviously, when you don't have a vertical threat," Muschamp told reporters. "Obviously we think Xavier [Legette] as a young player is very promising and he's got a huge upside and is going to be a really good football player for us, but [he] just hasn't done it consistently on our level and it certainly limits you as far as some of the run boxes you're going to face."

South Carolina ranks 94th in total offense (361.6 yards per game) and 44th in total defense (376.2 yards per game) so far in 2019.

Caslen told Manie Robinson of the Greenville News on Tuesday they would review Muschamp's status after the season.

"Coach Muschamp is my coach. That's the message. He will be my coach through the end of the season," he said. "And then, just like any other coach that's out there, whether it's a soccer coach, whether it's the equestrian coach, whatever, they're going to do an end-of-year assessment, the athletic director does. Then, we'll see what's up."

Muschamp posted a 28-21 record during a previous four-year stint at Florida before stepping down following the 2014 campaign.

His teams have only finished with double-digit wins once in eight combined seasons.

South Carolina head coach Will Muschamp was unhappy with the officiating in Saturday's 38-27 loss to Florida.

Per ESPN's Mark Schlabach, Muschamp called the referees "gutless" under his breath when asked about being assessed an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty in the fourth quarter after arguing with them on the sidelines about apparent missed calls.

Muschamp initially refused to address the officials specifically, only commenting on the way they handled assessing the penalty against him.

"The guy ran 40 yards away and dropped the flag," he said. "I have no idea. I'd rather him drop it on my feet. ... Drop it on my feet next time."

Schlabach did cite two examples of apparent penalties committed by Florida that the officials missed, both of which resulted in touchdowns for the Gators. The first involved offensive tackle Jean Delance coming out of his stance before the snap on Dameon Pierce's 75-yard score in the third quarter that helped tie the score at 17.

The second came on Kyle Pitts' five-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter that help put Florida up 31-20 when Josh Hammond appeared to commit offensive pass interference by blocking a South Carolina defender past the line of scrimmage.

Muschamp's penalty occurred with 4:01 remaining in the fourth quarter as the Gamecocks were starting a drive from their own 25-yard line. They were able to drive down the field for a touchdown when Ryan Hilinski hit OrTre Smith, but it wasn't enough to push them past the ninth-ranked Gators.

South Carolina was trying to extend its winning streak to three games coming off last week's upset victory over Georgia. The loss leaves Muschamp's team 3-4 with five games remaining in the regular season.

No. 21 is staying in the Sanders family. 

Thursday, Deion Sanders' son Shilo shared on Instagram that he has switched to his father's former number for the South Carolina Gamecocks:

Shilo, a freshman, plays defensive back, as his father did. The younger Sanders previously wore No. 12 and even wore a gold "12" chain earlier this season that will have to be remedied:

Deion earned AP Defensive Player of the Year honors in 1994 with the San Francisco 49ers. In his 14-year NFL career, Sanders notched 53 interceptions—tied with Ty Law for 24th all-time. He was affectionally known as Prime Time and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2011. 

Shilo was 3-star prospect, according to 247Sports.   

The South Carolina Gamecocks will reportedly have a true freshman under center for the foreseeable future.

Mark Schlabach and Chris Low of ESPN reported senior Jake Bentley suffered a foot injury during Saturday's 24-20 loss to the North Carolina Tar Heels. The injury will keep him out indefinitely, which means highly regarded freshman Ryan Hilinski will start Saturday's contest against FCS opponent Charleston Southern.

Bentley struggled for much of the game against North Carolina and finished 16-of-30 for 142 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions. He completed 61.9 percent of his passes for 3,171 yards, 27 touchdowns and 14 interceptions last season.

He has been solid but unspectacular for much of his career, and college football writer Matt Hinton said this change was eventually coming regardless of injury status:

Hilinski arrived at South Carolina as a 4-star prospect and the No. 2 pro-style quarterback in the class of 2019, per 247Sports' composite rankings.

"Ryan is extremely bright, extremely intelligent," Gamecocks head coach Will Muschamp said Sunday, per Schlabach and Low. "He works hard at it, as far as the film work and different things are concerned, so nothing's changed as far as his preparation. He's prepared himself the right way the entire time, so I've been very pleased with that."

The game against what figures to be an overmatched Charleston Southern side comes at an ideal time and will allow Hilinski to garner some much-needed experience before the Gamecocks take on the Alabama Crimson Tide in their SEC opener.

They also face Georgia, Florida, Texas A&M and Clemson later in the season.

Saturday turned out to be a great day for South Carolina kicker Parker White, who found out he earned a scholarship during the team's spring game. 

After White made a field goal in the second quarter, head coach Will Muschamp directed the redshirt junior to look at the giant video screen in Williams–Brice Stadium:

It's no secret that scholarships and recruiting for kickers aren't a priority for college teams. Mitch Sherman wrote on article for ESPN.com in 2011 about the difficulty coaches face with special teams players. 

"For us, it's often going to come down whether you want to take another offensive lineman in your recruiting class or a kicker," said Tim Cassidy, a recruiting coordinator at Texas A&M. "And that's not usually going to work out well for the kicker."

White finally got his scholarship from the Gamecocks by being a steady hand and making 13 of his 16 field-goal attempts in 2018.