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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