South Carolina running back target Amari Thomas (6-0 195) is officially available again. Despite having committed to Florida State on January 27th, Thomas never stopped shopping. He also made official visits to USC and Kentucky in June, along with FSU. The Gamecocks stayed consistent with their recruiting effort, and now it appears that will pay off for them when Thomas announces, again, on August 9th. Friday, Thomas publicly withdrew his commitment from the Seminoles as first reported by Hayes Fawcett of On3. Not long after, two of Hayes’ co-workers at On3, Chad Simmons and Steve Wiltfong, issued projections to USC for Thomas. The Gamecocks do not have a running back commitment in the class. The last two seasons, Thomas has rushed for a combined 3245 yards and 56 touchdowns.
Friday night, USC quarterback target Landon Duckworth (6-3 195) of Jackson, AL, will make his commitment announcement with the Gamecocks the strong favorites to land him for a second time. Duckworth first committed to USC in August of 2023, only to recommit in June of 2024. Auburn became a major player after that, but the Tigers have already taken a quarterback commitment for their 2026 class and are no longer considered a factor. Ole Miss and Florida State have been the other two programs involved. Duckworth is a two-time state champion in Alabama and has emerged as one of the top quarterbacks in the 2026 class. He competed earlier this month in the Elite 11 Finals in California. In his career, he has passed for 5735 yards and 69 touchdowns with 16 interceptions. He’s also rushed for 1052 yards and 20 touchdowns. Last season, he passed for 3439 yards and 39 touchdowns. A commitment by Duckworth would be the Gamecocks’ third in as many days and would push their total for the 2026 class to 13.
Clemson signee SS Dax Kilby is signing with the Yankees who drafted him with the 39th pick. He’s one of three Clemson recruits who were drafted.