For much of the recruiting battle for DE George Wilson (6-5 211) of Virginia Beach, VA the national recruiting experts had him pegged for North Carolina. But Sunday Wilson went a different direction announcing a commitment to USC. Penn State and Arizona State were the other two programs on his short list.
Wilson’s decision gave the Gamecocks a split on Sunday commitments. Earlier in the day LB Greg Penn of Hyattsville, MD committed to LSU over USC and Maryland.
“I’m just grateful and happy,” Wilson said during his announcement via CBSSports.com. “It was one of my first offers and they showed a lot of love. Coach (Mike) Peterson and Coach (Kyle) Krantz) and Coach (Will) Muschamp showed a lot of love. I’m just ready to put in work and enjoy the college life. When I get there I’m going to get it done.”
Wilson will go into his senior season at Green Run High School with a high national reputation. In the 247Sports Composite ranking. he’s rated as a four-star prospect. He’s ranked the #23 weakside defensive end in the country and the 9th best prospect in Virginia for 2021.
“George is a great kid, very coachable and an awesome teammate towards his peers,” said Green Run coach Brandon Williams. “He is very deserving of this opportunity.”
Wilson had 12 sacks as a junior and is viewed as having big-time potential as an edge rusher. But he’s also seen as an end who can drop back into coverage. He’s also a basketball player and some of those quick-twitch skills there carry over to football.
“He has that natural athletic ability with his long arms,” Williams said. “He’s yet to reach his full potential on the field. He’s definitely a raw player that they are getting. His athletic ability is definitely off the charts. He can play in the open field, coming off the edge, wreaking havoc on opposing quarterbacks. No technique, just straight athletic ability.”
Wilson becomes the second defensive end and third defensive lineman to commit to the Gamecocks for the 2021 class. And a chance to play in the SEC was a big part of the attraction to USC.
“The SEC background for the most part,” Williams said. ” And he wanted to compete for a starting job early which he has a good chance at South Carolina.”
The Gamecocks now have 15 commitments in their class, and 18 of the 25 scholarships for the class are now accounted for.
