South Carolina ended the recruiting month of June on a down note as DT Pierre “PJ” Dean (6-5 255) of Clemmons, NC announced a commitment to Georgia Monday afternoon. Ohio State was also in the running.
Much of the speculation on Dean in recent weeks was on Georgia, where his brother was a starting center until moving on to the NFL. Ohio State was also a major player. However, Steve Wiltfong of On3 issued a protection to South Carolina late Monday morning, and that got the Gamecock Internet buzzing. GamecockCentral writers were also projecting Dean to USC. Analysts at 247Sports did not enter any projections on the record.
South Carolina was one of the first major programs to offer Dean in June of 2023. Dean also held offers from LSU, Miami, Penn State, Tennessee, NC State, Alabama, Auburn, Wake Forest, Purdue, Florida and Texas A&M.
Dean was originally recruited as an offensive lineman, and he was highly regarded as an offensive lineman as well. But at Georgia’s suggestion, he focused more on the defensive line, and he evolved into a highly recruited prospect.
Dean made official visits to each of his three finalists. He also made visits to USC in December and April, and he was back for a camp earlier this month. He also made a spring visit to Ohio State.
Georgia had already taken four commitments for the interior of its defensive line. USC had only one in Aiden Harris, so the idea of more immediate playing time at USC was thought to weigh in the Gamecocks’ favor.
Per his stats on MaxPreps, Dean played in eight games last season and on defense recorded 13 tackles with three sacks, seven hurries and three tackles for loss.
South Carolina has another shot at a North Carolina defensive tackle on Wednesday when Noah Clark of Durham makes his announcement with the Gamecocks, Duke, NC State, Virginia and Virginia Tech under consideration.