South Carolina did a good job impressing OG Jacobe Ward (6-4 335) of Savannah when he was in for the spring game earlier this month. Head coach Shane Beamer and offensive line coach Lonnie Teasley have been going hard after Ward, who can also play offensive tackle.
Ward said the game day atmosphere for the spring game opened his eyes to some things about Gamecock football.
“I took away that the energy from the warmups all the way to the game, and the atmosphere,” Ward said. “For it to be that packed for a spring game kind of shows how much they love South Carolina. That’s something that I’d very much like to be a part of. They always treat their recruits like family.”
Ward also paid close attention to what was happening on the field with the offensive line. He saw things he liked and believes there’s opportunity awaiting him in Columbia.
“I can definitely see me being able to play early at South Carolina,” Ward said. “It wouldn’t take long for me to adapt to South Carolina’s offensive line because they run the same zone schemes as I do in high school. It would be very fun instead of having to learn a whole bunch of different zone schemes. I could go straight in and already know what to do.”
As for the Beamer influence on Ward?
“Me and Coach Beamer, we’ve been in contact a lot,” he said. “He just tells me to always keep my head on straight. He just does some of the simple things that makes South Carolina standout better than the other schools.”
Right now, Ward said he counts USC, Tennessee, Auburn, LSU and Kentucky as his top five schools. He has also visited Tennessee and Auburn this spring and plans to see LSU in May.
As for his oficial visits, Ward said most likely he will visit USC May 31st for his first visit. He then has Auburn and Tennessee scheduled for the next two weekends. He plans to make his decision after his official visits and prior to the start of his season.
