South Carolina Recruiting Rewind: Best signee, biggest bust, the one who got away and more

It has been a while since South Carolina had the type of momentum Shane Beamer and the Gamecocks have created heading into the 2023 season. Wins that halted the College Football Playoff hopes of Clemson and Tennessee will work wonders for a program looking to climb the recruiting rankings and return to national prominence.

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But it wasn’t long ago that the Gamecocks were rolling under former coach Steve Spurrier and routinely attracting some of the top talent in the country.

As South Carolina continues to host official visitors this month, let’s take a look back at the program’s recruiting history.

Best recruit, pre-internet rankings: George Rogers, RB

Rogers is from Duluth, Ga., and was highly recruited out of high school, although The Washington Post once reported that then-Georgia coach Vince Dooley got a “late start” on him. Whoops.

Rogers committed to South Carolina after then-Gamecocks coach Jim Carlen told him he could play as a freshman. That promise set the stage for one of the most dominant careers in program history. Rogers ran for 623 yards as a true freshman before eclipsing the 1,000-yard mark as a sophomore despite sharing reps with Johnnie Wright. Both players had 176 carries, with Rogers averaging a team-high 5.7 yards per attempt.

As a junior in 1979, Rogers ran for a single-season school record of 1,681 yards, good for second most in the country. He broke his record as a senior when he ran for 1,894 yards in 1980 — still the most in program history. That helped him win the program’s first and only Heisman Trophy, as he beat out Pitt’s Hugh Green and Georgia’s Herschel Walker.

Rogers still holds South Carolina’s program record with 5,932 career all-purpose yards, 1,000-plus more than Brandon Bennett in second place. He was the program’s first No. 1 pick in the NFL Draft, going to the New Orleans Saints in 1981. From there, Rogers eventually won a Super Bowl with the now-Washington Commanders and was inducted into the National Football Hall of Fame in 1997.

Best recruit, modern era: Jadeveon Clowney, DE

Who else could it be?

Only five prospects in the modern era have had a perfect 1.000 rating in the 247Sports Composite: Vince Young, Ernie Sims, Robert Nkemdiche, Rashan Gary and Clowney. Many recruiting analysts believe Clowney was — and still is — the best.

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Clowney could have played anywhere in the country but didn’t enjoy the pomp and circumstance that came with being a recruit of this magnitude. He committed to the in-state Gamecocks out of South Pointe High in Rock Hill, S.C., as the top prospect in the Class of 2011. Stephon Gilmore and Devonte Holloman were crucial in his recruitment, as both also attended South Pointe and went on to play for the Gamecocks.

Clowney still holds single-season records for sacks (13) and tackles for loss (23 1/2), set during his sophomore season in 2012. He declared for the draft after his junior season and was selected by the Houston Texans with the No. 1 pick.

Most influential recruit: Alshon Jeffery, WR

This category was particularly difficult because of the sheer number of elite options: five-star running back Marcus Lattimore? Gilmore? Clowney again? That run of top talent in the early 2010s showed the potential of the Gamecocks as a recruiting powerhouse.

But Jeffery is the pick. In addition to being a top-125 national prospect, he and Gilmore laid the foundation for Lattimore and Clowney. He committed to South Carolina in the Class of 2009 alongside Gilmore before Lattimore came along in 2010, and Clowney followed in 2011. His 3,042 career receiving yards are still a program record, as are his 1,517 yards and 88 catches during the 2010 season.

And we can’t forget that he was also on the right side of what has become one of the most memorable recruiting stories of the modern era. Before Jeffery officially committed to the Gamecocks, then-Tennessee coach Lane Kiffin famously told him that if he picked South Carolina, he’d end up pumping gas for the rest of his life.

The Eagles released Jeffery in March 2021, but not before they signed him to a four-year, $52 million contract extension in 2017 with $27 million guaranteed.

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Biggest bust: Demetris Summers, RB

Summers was a five-star prospect in the Class of 2003 and the No. 9 player in the nation. A native of Lexington, S.C., and a sensation at running back, he committed to the Gamecocks as the state’s all-time leader in rushing yards (9,076) and touchdowns scored (127).

But Spurrier dismissed Summers from the program in 2005 for violating team rules. In 2017, Summers was sentenced to eight years in prison for manufacturing and distributing crack cocaine.

Best developmental story: Connor Shaw, QB

It’s easy to forget that Shaw, the school’s winningest starting quarterback, was once a three-star prospect in the Class of 2010. Ranked No. 396 overall and the No. 11 dual-threat quarterback, Shaw wasn’t exactly the flashiest recruit. He also had scholarship offers from Georgia Tech, East Carolina, Stanford, Wake Forest and West Virginia.

Shaw was an early enrollee and opened the 2010 season as Stephen Garcia’s backup. He played in nine games and threw for 223 yards as a true freshman before earning the starting job midway through his sophomore year. As a junior, he completed a school-record 67.5 percent of his passes, and as a senior, he threw for 2,447 yards with 24 touchdowns and just one interception en route to becoming a semifinalist for the Davey O’Brien Award.

Shaw never lost at home, going a perfect 17-0 at Williams-Brice Stadium, and went 27-5 for his career as a starter. Most notably, he never lost to rival Clemson.

The one who got away: Jalin Hyatt, WR

We have the benefit of hindsight with Hyatt, but how is it that South Carolina never offered Tennessee’s star wide receiver? Hyatt, who is now with the New York Giants, was a top-200 recruit in the Class of 2020 and the No. 3 player in South Carolina. Even more jarring: He’s from Irmo, S.C., which is about 15 minutes from Columbia, and attended Dutch Fork, one of the most prominent high schools in the state.

Hyatt signed with Tennessee and developed into a consensus first-team All-American and the winner of the 2022 Biletnikoff Award, given to the nation’s top receiver.

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Editor’s note: This is part of a series of stories looking back at recruiting superlatives for select Power 5 programs. The stories can be found here. 

(Top photo of Jadeveon Clowney: Streeter Lecka / Getty Images)