The commitment train for USC added another passenger Wednesday afternoon in three-star WR Landon Samson (6-1 180) of Southlake, TX. Nebraska looked like the favorite for Samson and he visited there earlier this month. But USC receivers coach Justin Stepp, who is close friends with Samson’s high school coach, offered him a couple of weeks ago and put a heavy recruiting rush on him. And that paid off for the Gamecocks.
“Coach Stepp started talking to me at the end of my football season this year, and then we didn’t talk a whole lot,” Samson said. “Coming up to the last week, he FaceTime’s me, ‘Hey man, we really love you, we want to offer you.’ Every night since then, he’s been Face Timing me right before I go to bed. We’ve been building a great relationship, and I’m very excited.”
Samson has yet to visit USC. He will be in for the cookout on July 31st. But a lengthy Zoom session with Shane Beamer and staff members last week went a long way toward him deciding on the Gamecocks.
“It was a great Zoom,” Samson said. “It was supposed to be an hour and it ended up lasting two-and-a-half hours because I was really interested in the program and I had so many questions, and were all just having fun, laughing,” Samson said. “I learned a ton about the program. And the end of the Zoom call, it really just felt like home. I really wanted to be a Gamecock.”
Also in that Zoom, Samson talked extensively with offensive coordinator Marcus Satterfield. That also was a big conversation for him.
“I got to talk a little bit of football with him,” he said. “It was just amazing to see what he sees and how I think he’ll be able to be able to turn the program around and really lead the program. I was also very impressed with their business school. That’s what I want to major in. They are one of the top business schools in the world, and that’s something that was really intriguing to me and something that’s very important. It was one of my big things looking towards a college. That was something that really helped me shut it down.”
Last season Samson caught 74 passes for 1281 yards and 15 touchdowns. He believes his versatility as a receiver is his strength and something the Gamecocks will top into.
“They see me coming in and play very early,” Samson said. “I have a very high football IQ and they think that’s something that can be used in a versatile way. I can play anywhere on the field, which is amazing for them and for me, because it means I can get on the field earlier and I can have a lot more production for the team as well. Just being able to know every position and be able to know everything on the field at once will be able to help the team too.”
Samson said this commitment completes his recruiting and he won’t be talking to any other schools. Some of his other offers were Nebraska, Colorado, Utah, Duke, UCF, Boise State, Memphis, Tulane and Louisiana. He is rated a three-star in the 247Sports Composite and is ranked 104th nationally among wide receivers in his class.
His commitment accounts for the second Shane Beamer alert of Tuesday and gives the Gamecocks 12 new commitments in the class. Beamer also sent out another commitment alert Wednesday, so he has three silent commitments. The one from today plans to announce Saturday, but that’s unrelated to DT Nick James who had previously set Saturday at 2:30 for his announcement. The other two will go public in early July. And two transfers will count in the 2022 class meaning 17 of the 25 spots are claimed.
USC 2022 Recruiting Class
- TYRESE ROSS SAF 6-2 185 TRANSFER WASHINGTON STATE
- KARON PRUNTY CB 6-1 189 TRANSFER KANSAS
- GRAYSON MAINS OT 6-5 265 SUWANEE, GA
- BRADEN DAVIS QB 6-5 185 MIDDLETOWN, DE
- DONOVAN WESTMORELAND LB 6-2 195 GRIFFIN, GA
- KAJUAN BANKS CB 5-10 170 TALLAHASSEE
- JY’VONTE MCCLENDON SAF 6-2 180 LAKELAND, FL
- JAMAAL WHYCE DT 6-4 250 MIAMI
- PEYTON WILLIAMS SAF 6-0 180 ROCKLEDGE, TX
- CASON HENRY OT 6-6 290 MARIETTA, GA
- KYLIC HORTON WR 6-4 180 CLARENDON HALL
- ANTHONY ROSE SAF 6-4 180 MIAMI
- RYAN BRUBAKER OT 6-6 280 STEVENS, PA
- LANDON SAMSON WR 6-1 185 SOUTHLAKE, TX
