July has brought four consecutive days of fireworks for Shane Beamer and South Carolina on the recruiting trail.
The Gamecocks have landed a commitment in each of the first four days of the month, vaulting their class up 12 spots to No. 25 in the Rivals Industry Team Recruiting Rankings. Headlining the new quartet of pledges is one of the nation’s best.
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Many programs had momentum in the recruitment of Cornelius (N.C.) William Amos Hough five-star cornerback Joshua Dobson over the last year, but South Carolina was previously an in-state program and remained in the mix every step of the way. That paid off.
Texas A&M and Michigan were the two schools that appeared to be in the thick of it for the elite playmaker, but the Gamecocks got him in Columbia for his final official visit and took the lead down the stretch. On July 1, Dobson committed to the SEC program live on the Rivals YouTube channel.
“South Carolina has been with me for a long time,” Dobson told Rivals’ Chad Simmons, breaking down his decision. “It goes back to the eighth grade. They have recruited me for a long time.”
“I know the staff so well,” he said. “They got to know me, they got to know my family and I have always been comfortable around the people at South Carolina.
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Gamecocks kept the ball rolling after Dobson
Dobson, the No. 12 overall prospect in the 2027 cycle, now sits atop the class. One day after his pledge, he was flanked by another blue-chip defensive back — who just so happens to play alongside him at the high school level.
Hough four-star safety Davion Jones was considering the Gamecocks and LSU, and while the Tigers made quite the push, it was once again the longstanding relationships that helped Beamer, position coach Torrian Gray and Co. land his commitment.
“They’ve been recruiting me since my eighth-grade year,” Jones, the No. 9 safety in the nation, told Simmons. “The relationships were really big because I’ve known those guys the longest. There is that trust with the coaches at South Carolina. They have been with me for a long time.”
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Friday brought a massive in-state commitment from Irmo (S.C.) four-star interior offensive lineman Nate Carson. The No. 14 IOL and No. 5 player in the Palmetto State, Carson is now the fifth O-lineman in the class after choosing USC over Georgia.
The Fourth of July then saw the Gamecocks go back to North Carolina to snag a commitment from Raleigh Rolesville three-star EDGE Jayden Broadie, a potential blue-chip candidate.
The hot start to July follows a great finish to a jam-packed June for South Carolina. It flipped Richmond (Va.) Hugenot four-star wide receiver Iveon Lewis from Kentucky and also added Bogart (Ga.) North Oconee four-star CB Kelvin Millington and three other three-stars.
An up-to-date look at the South Carolina class can be seen here. It also now ranks 10th in the SEC, ahead of Mizzou, Vanderbilt, Tennessee, Alabama, Arkansas and Mississippi State.
