South Carolina Staff Hits the Road for Recruiting During Bye Week
With the Gamecocks on their bye week, Shane Beamer and his staff have shifted their focus to the recruiting trail, using the time to connect with top prospects across multiple states.
“The recruiting class that we have right now is going great,” Beamer said during his Sunday teleconference. “The ’27 class, we’re off to a great start with them, and it’s great to be able to get on the road. Our assistant coaches are out on those Fridays. And we had, I think, five coaches that were at high school games in South Carolina on Friday night a couple of nights ago, but I’m not able to get out on the road during the week because I’m with the team at the hotel on Friday nights. So it’ll be great to be able to get out on the road recruiting this week.”
South Carolina’s 2026 recruiting class is already shaping up to be one of its strongest in recent years. The group, ranked No. 17 nationally in the Industry Team Recruiting Rankings, features a mix of elite talent including Top 100 prospects OL Darius Gray, DL Aiden Harris, QB Landon Duckworth, and S J’Zavien Currence. The class currently consists of one five-star, eight four-stars, and seven three-star recruits.
Beamer explained that this week is particularly valuable for him as head coach because of NCAA restrictions. “I think I’ll be in five states on Thursday and Friday, recruiting and trying to see a lot of guys,” he said. “As a head coach, you’re limited because the month of December is now a dead period, so you’re limited on how many times you can go out recruiting. So really, for a head coach, it’s the month of January and the off weeks. Some head coaches use the off week to not recruit and rest up, and that’s their prerogative, but I like to get out on the road, so I’m looking forward to being in high schools and being at some high school games this week.”
The timing is favorable for South Carolina, as the program is coming off a dominant 35-13 win over Kentucky at Williams-Brice Stadium. That game also drew another large group of high-profile visitors, marking the third such recruiting weekend this season.
Beamer said the atmosphere those prospects experienced could have a lasting impact. “The ones that were there last (Saturday), that’s all they could talk about before the game was just the electricity in the stadium and the Gamecock Walk,” he noted. “So our fans are amazing. The energy they created at Williams-Brice is a huge advantage for us. We have momentum now, going on the road after a win. There’s a lot of excitement.”
With recruiting heating up, South Carolina hopes its recent success on the field and the energy from the fan base will continue to pay dividends on the trail.
