Adam Choice

RB Adam Choice of Thomasville, GA confirmed for PalmettoSports.com Wednesday afternoon that he has committed to Clemson. Choice said Tuesday night Clemson had moved out as his favorite but was going to wait until a visit next week to possibly commit. But Wednesday Choice decided there was no reason to wait. He had also been considering Auburn, Georgia Tech and Texas. Choice attended Clemson’s spring game and started to get the feeling then that Clemson was right for him. “I could really tell they are one big family,” Choice said. “The whole city is behind Clemson and their athletic program. And the more I looked into the school, the academics looked great.” Choice played quarterback last season and rushed for 1650 yards and 23 touchdowns. He’s Clemson’s seventh commitment for the 2014 class, third from Georgia and the third running back for the class.

OL Malik Young (6-4 295) of Woodmont was offered Tuesday by USC and by next Tuesday he likely will be a commitment for the Gamecocks’ 2014 class. Young, his mother and his coach will tour the USC campus next Tuesday and Young said the pledge could come then. “It’s a pretty good chance (of a commitment),” Young said. “It meant a lot to me (to get the offer). It’s exciting that South Carolina, my favorite school, offered me. I dreamed about it and hoped I would get the chance to play in the SEC.” USC offensive line coach Shawn Elliott was contacted by Woodmont second year coach Jason Farmer about Young after Farmer saw how much he had progressed during spring practice. “I was real excited for him that this has happened,” Farmer said. “I honestly don’t understand why more schools don’t come in and look at this kid. We were 1-10 last year and we’re not a big name program and sometimes people shy away from that, but I know he can play at that next level. I think South Carolina has made a great decision. When coach Elliott left our office yesterday, he (Young) could not believe this was happening. His parents are Gamecock fans and his family is from Columbia. It’s really a perfect fit.” Young played tackle last season but will be a guard this season. And he sees a good situation for himself in Columbia. “I think I would fit in well,” he said. “He (Elliott is a very good coach and I like the Gamecock environment.” Young said he’d also like to visit Georgia and Florida but has had no contact from them. He also has an offer from SC State.

2015 DE Shameik Blackshear of Bluffton took to Twitter Tuesday afternoon to announce his commitment to USC. Blackshear had been favoring the Gamecocks throughout the recruiting process but gave no indication he planned to make such an early decision according to his coach Ken Cribb. “That’s kids for you,” Cribb said. “After talking with him I thought he’d wait awhile but everything may have been overwhelming for him. He may have known who he liked and where he wanted to go and just said let’s go ahead and get this part off me so I can concentrate on Bluffton Bobcat football.” Blackshear visited USC for a game last season and went to one of their junior days earlier this year. “Honestly, I think he’s been a Gamecock fan,” Cribb said. “He wears Gamecock stuff all the time. He likes all the coaches. Everette Sands been recruiting him hard and he likes coach Sands. Back yard, local, home favorite. He just liked everything about them.” Blackshear is just 15 years old and is still working to master his skills. He had 97 tackles with 17 for loss and 5 sacks last season. “I’m just going to be honest with you, he can play any position on the field,” Cribb said. “He’s 6-5, 235. He’s been timed as a 4.6 but Friday night (in the spring scrimmage) he ran the ball and I guarantee you he was 4.5 or better. It was incredible. He hit a gear I hadn’t screen. And he’s incredibly strong, he’s agile and explosive. Can run it, catch it, throw it. He has no limitations.” Blackshear has a dozen offers with Clemson, North Carolina, NC State, Florida, Florida State, Georgia, Tennessee, Ohio State and Southern Cal also on his list. He’s the 2nd commitment for USC for the 2015 class. Also Tuesday, Bluffton rising senior DL KJ Ford announced a commitment to NC State.

TE KC Crosby of Bamberg-Ehrhardt is set to announce his college choice at Noon on June 1st. As of Tuesday night, he had not made his decision according to his father and coach Butch Crosby. “He’s still up in the air, still getting information,” Crosby Sr. said. “He’ll go to that Saturday morning. I told him I don’t want to know until that Saturday.” Crosby Jr. had his list down to USC, Clemson, North Carolina and Alabama, but his father said Florida is now a factor. “Florida got back in it,” the coach said. “Coach Lawing came down and then the tight ends coach came down.” USC recruiter Everette Sands attended Crosby’s spring game last Thursday, and Clemson recruiter Marion Hobby was by last Monday. “He might go to Clemson this weekend, but that’s not definite,” Crosby Sr. said. The coach previously named USC as the favorite for his son but a favorite is not as clear to him now. “South Carolina has made a great push but I don’t know where that stands,” he said. “Alabama made a big push here at the end. Clemson is trying to make a push, and North Carolina is definitely trying to make a push. North Carolina has made the biggest push.” Outside of the possible visit to Clemson, Crosby Jr. has no plans to visit any other school before his announcement.

WR Ryshene Bronson of Fort Meyers, FL has decommitted from Florida to “open back up” his recruitment. He has named USC, Florida, South Florida, Tennessee and LSU as his top five in no order. Bronson visited USC in the past with his cousin and current Gamecock, Jordan Diggs. “I loved it there,” said Bronson. “I loved the locker room and when I saw the (stadium), I thought it was like an NFL stadium. The dorm rooms were really nice and I like the way everything is set up there.” Bronson has maintained contact with USC assistant, G.A. Mangus. “We just talk about my official visit and me getting up there to take another look,” he said. Bronson plans to announce his decision on National Sighing Day and added that he is interested in getting away from home. “I’m not sure I want to be stuck in Florida my whole life,” said Bronson. He did not name a leader.

LB Kendall Joseph of Belton Honea-Path will announce his decision June 17th. He will make his decision between Clemson, Louisville and Duke with all three teams equal. As for visits, Joseph said, “I’m visiting Clemson on June 8th. I have already visited Louisville and Duke.” In the past, Joseph has told Palmetto Sports that the proximity of Clemson is a plus but that it will not be a major factor in his final decision. Louisville was the first to offer Joseph and Duke has made a strong push for the Upstate product. Last season Joseph had 129 tackles with six tackles for loss adding eight offensive touchdowns. There is no leader.

Shamiek Blackshear

DE Shamiek Blackshear of Bluffton, the state’s top prospect in the 2015 class, made a surprise early commitment today to USC. Blackshear announced his pledge via Twitter. At the same time his rising senior teammate DL K.J. Ford announced a commitment to NC State. Blackshear had more than a dozen offers including Clemson, Alabama, Florida and Southern Cal. He was visited recently by Gamecock recruiter Everette Sands and then decided to make his pledge. Bluffton coach Ken Cribb said the timing of Blackshear’s commitment surprised him but not the fact that he chose USC. “He grew up a Gamecock fan,” said Cribb. Blackshear is the second 2015 commitment for the Gamecocks.

It was just a few, short years ago a Clemson running back who went by the initials CJ ran his way into the Tiger record books and into the hearts of their fans. CJ Spiller will forever be considered one of Clemson’s football greats. Now, another running back with the same initialized first name will be joining the Tigers looking to become a fan favorite. CJ Fuller of Easley committed to the Tigers Monday afternoon following the conclusion of his spring practice, and he’s we’ll aware of the comparisons his name will draw to Spiller’s career. “People around here always talk about CJ Spiller and stuff, but I just want to go in there and do my thing and see what happens,” Fuller said. Clemson offered Fuller last season and he has been favoring the Tigers sever since. “It feels great,” he said of the commitment. “It’s just a childhood dream fulfilled. I liked them from day one. I went out and I did my job and did my homework on other schools and came to the conclusion Clemson is on top.” Fuller rushed for over 2000 yards last season in a zone read offense and feels Clemson’s offense will be a great fit. “I like how they put their running backs in space, give them an opportunity to make a move on the linebacker or defensive back,” he said. Clemson has one senior running back in 2013 and Fuller is the second running back commitment for 2014. He’s hoping for a chance to show what he can do right away. “I want to jump in and be a part of it because I feel I can,” he said. “But if they decide to redshirt me, I’m cool with that, too.” Fuller also had offers from North Carolina, NC State and Louisville. He’s the sixth commitment for Clemson’s 2014 class.

USC was the strong, early leader for DL Poona Ford of Hilton Head, and while the Gamecocks are still very much in the hunt, at least three others have caught the fancy of the talented run stuffer. “I think there are still a lot of schools still in play,” said his coach BJ Payne. “The top three he’s listing are Tennessee, Ohio State and Louisville. A lot of people ask me does that mean South Carolina’s out and I don’t think so.” USC visited Ford last Monday and Ford set plans to camp at USC. He will also camp at Ohio State and Tennessee and some other places according to his coach. USC was Ford’s first major offer and that put the Gamecocks in the early lead. But exposure to these other programs has given Ford more options to consider. “I know when he went to Tennessee he really enjoyed their staff,” Payne said. “I know he fell in love with their facilities. And he’s always had Ohio State in his top five, even before Ohio State offered. He went to camp there last year. If you look at his top three or four schools, they’ve all produced multiple defensive linemen, very good defensive linemen. Ohio State, Tennessee, and South Carolina, those three schools are top of the line as far as defensive linemen.” Arizona is another school Ford wants to see this summer. He has 25 offers but Payne says Ford has shrunk the list to eight and will get down to three after camps. Those eight are USC, Ohio State, Tennessee, Louisville, Arizona, Kansas State, NC State and Toledo. Payne said Florida could become a factor with an offer. Ford was going to wait until Signing Day for an announcement but his coach wants him to decide earlier than that so the schools that don’t get him can recruit other defensive linemen. Payne would like him to decide before his senior season but he doesn’t expect that. Ford has told him he wants to take some official visits and go from there.

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Mason Rudolph

QB Mason Rudolph of Northwestern has a top two and is rapidly closing in on decision time. LSU and Oklahoma State are the favorites. “I’ll probably make my decision in the next two or three weeks and then I’ll camp at the school I plan on going to to get more familiar with their coaching staff,” he said. Rudolph did not name a leader. He picked up an offer from Virginia last Wednesday, his sixth. The Cavaliers join LSU, Virginia Tech, Oklahoma State, Ole Miss and Louisville. Of those that offered, Louisville is the only school that has not visited Rudolph this spring. Other schools to come by were Alabama, Tennessee, Vanderbilt, Notre Dame, Appalachian State, Arkansas and North Carolina. “South Carolina has not been by,” said Rudolph. “I am pretty sure Georgia is planning to come by later this week. I’ve talked to pretty much every school that has been by to see me.”

LB Christian Miller of Spring Valley Friday announced a decommitment from the Florida Gators. Miller had committed to the Gators in mid February. He is still considering the Gators along with Alabama and Tennessee.

OL David Sharpe (6-8 290) of Jacksonville holds 14 offers including Clemson and USC. His others are Florida State, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina, Duke, Miami, Purdue, Wisconsin, Michigan State, Ohio State and Georgia Tech. He has visited Florida and Florida State and will get to Clemson and USC this summer. Sharpe does not have favorites but does have interest in USC and Clemson. “I like South Carolina, I like coach (Steve) Spurrier Jr.,” he said. “He wants to get me up there and see the campus. He said I’ll fit in well with the program. I’ve been talking to coach (Jeff) Scott and he wants to get me up there also.” Sharpe has never been to USC or Clemson. He said all the schools are recruiting him about the same. He’ll make his decision after the season. “I’m looking for some place where I’m comfortable,” he said. Sharpe grew up a Florida fan but said that won’t factor into his decision.

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Dexter Neal

Rising junior WR DJ Neal of Stone Mountain, GA committed to USC Thursday evening following his spring game.  Neal becomes the Gamecocks’ first commitment for the 2015 class.  Neal had been planning to commit to the Gamecocks ever since he received an offer from them earlier this month.  Neal has visited USC in the past and will visit again Saturday.  “I felt like I fit in around their program,” Neal said.  “The depth chart is what really pulled me towards South Carolina.  I think I’ll be able to make big plays for them.”  Last season Neal caught 91 passes for nearly 1000 yards.  Neal said he might visit some other schools over the next several months but his mind is set on the Gamecocks.  “It’s going to be pretty hard to pull me away unless something happens with the depth chart,” Neal said.  “That’s the only thing that might change my mind.”  Neal said Clemson and Tennessee were the other schools high up on his list.  He also has offers from Vanderbilt, North Carolina, Virginia Tech, Michigan State, Cincinnati and Connecticut.

WR Blake Bone of Woodruff was offered today by Central Florida.  That’s his seventh offer.  The others are USC, Clemson, Ole Miss, Kentucky, Louisville and North Carolina.

LB Kendall Joseph of Belton-Honea Path is moving towards the end of his recruiting now that he’s cut his list to a final three of Clemson, Duke and Louisville. All three schools have had coaches come thru this spring. Clemson recruiter Brent Venables was at practice Monday and Joseph talked with him Monday night. “He likes the way I move and the way I play,” Joseph said. “He feels I can be a leader on defense at middle linebacker. He’s telling me real good things.” Joseph also has been in touch with his recruiters from Louisville and Duke. “Louisville wants me to come in and be the middle linebacker and the leader of the defense,” he said. “Duke is showing me a lot of love, saying good things can happen and that Duke is on the rise.” Clemson seldom misses on top Upstate targets not far from campus. Joseph said he has no favorite among the three and Clemson’s proximity is not a major issue. “It’s a plus for them to be 40 minutes away but not a big factor in my decision,” he said. “The playing time at each is about the same. Each has a great coaching staff. I can’t go wrong. God will let me know what’s best for me.” Joseph went to a pair of Clemson games last season and to a spring scrimmage. He visited Duke this spring and was at Louisville two weeks ago. He is going back to Clemson in early June and will make his decision around the middle of the month. He plans to talk things over with his family then tell his coach about his decision and let him put it out publicly.

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Terry Googer

At one time WR Terry Googer of Atlanta appeared to be a strong lean to USC but after receiving a new wave of offers, Googer has wiped the slate clean and is favorite free. “Everybody is even,” Googer said. His newest offers were from Clemson, West Virginia, Auburn and Ole Miss. USC receivers coach Steve Spurrier Jr. was thru his school about three weeks ago. “They want me to come down for another visit,” said Googer who has made multiple visits to USC. Several Georgia prospects plan to visit USC Saturday. Googer’s name has been included but he said he’s not yet sure if he’ll make it in Saturday. Clemson’s offer came last week, as a tight end, and he said he will visit Clemson at some point. Googer said he plans to visit about ten schools over the summer and he hopes to make his decision after the summer but before his season. Other offers include Notre Dame, Vanderbilt, Georgia Tech, Mississippi State, Syracuse, North Carolina, Miami and Tennessee.

LB Ty Tomlin of Marietta, GA has come up with his top five and in order he has North Carolina, Tennessee, Clemson, Ole Miss and NC State in that group. Clemson recruiter Brent Venables was in for a visit last week. “He was telling me I’m his guy and they need me to come in and they are going to lead in the ACC in everything, all the good stuff,” Tomlin said. Georgia, Miami, NC State and North Carolina have also been by. Tennessee is to be in Wednesday and Wake Forest is coming to his spring game Friday. Tomlin said he has the Tar Heels out front because of his relationship with head coach Larry Fedora and with his recruiter. “They are talking about me coming in and starting as a freshman,” he said. “Playing time is a big factor for me.” Tomlin added that Clemson has a chance to overtake the Tar Heels and Tennessee is also in the mix to do so. He has visited North Carolina, Wake Forest, Kentucky and Tennessee and plans to visit Clemson this summer. Last season Tomlin had 128 tackles with 20 for losses and 2 interceptions.

DL Thomas Holley of Brooklyn has received several visits this spring including one from Clemson. He expects the Tigers back for the spring ends. “Clemson was by last week to see me,” said Holley. “They’ll be back my next week or the week after that. They talked to my coach and told him how much they want me and how badly they need defensive linemen. They talked to me about how their practices go…and stuff like that…so I won’t be surprised if I go there.” Holley plans to visit Clemson in the future. “That’s the plan,” he said. “I’m not sure when I’ll be there but I plan on going there for a visit.” Pitt, Florida State, Alabama, and Miami have all been by to see him as well. “Those are the ones I remember because they came to watch me practice,” said Holley. “Other schools have been by to talk to my coach but I can’t think of of them right now.” He does not have favorites and has not narrowed his list saying, “I’m just going to take it day-by-day and see where it goes.”

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