Perhaps the most anticipated commitment announcement of the 2026 recruiting season for South Carolina is set for Friday night at 7:00 PM. OG Darius Gray of Richmond will reveal his college choice via CBSSports.com with a final five of USC, Clemson, Tennessee, LSU and Ohio State.
“I’m very excited,” Gray said. “It’s been an honor and a blessing to be in this position. So, I’m excited to finally call a school home and shut down the recruitment.”
As of Wednesday night, Gray was still trying to finalize his decision.
“I’ll say I’m pretty close,” Gray said. “I don’t think I’m too much far off at all, but schools have definitely cleared up for me and, you know, I’m just excited now for the opportunity. The most important thing, of course, is family atmosphere. But, you know, God is definitely going to tell me which school is the best fit for me. I’ll just listen to his word, and that’ll be the place.”
Most of the speculation of late has had South Carolina and LSU running hot with Gray, with Tennessee picking up some steam. Clemson and Ohio State have been afterthoughts in the outside world, but not with Gray.
“Clemson’s definitely still in the picture,” Gray said. “But I would kind of say it’s a tie for all of them. Schools are making their final pitch, all five, to be honest. And, you know, honestly, it kind of comes down to me. All five schools have done a great job of putting out what they do best. And now it’s just kind of just up to me to say yes to one of them. It definitely varies from each school.
“LSU is a great one. Location is very far, so their pitch is just making sure I’m comfortable being far away from home and things like that.
“Clemson, you don’t have to sacrifice anything. They kind of have everything. Coach (Dabo) Swinney has done a great job of making that program player first, and I think that’s kind of the biggest thing for it all.
“Ohio State? Winners. They win. It’s hard. It’s competition. It develops you for the NFL.
“South Carolina has their own, you be different. Come join something that’s growing. And Coach (Shane) Beamer is doing a great job at everything he’s done so far. And last year, we’re going to look back and be like that was one of his worst years. That’s kind of what you see in a coach like Coach Beamer.
“Every school kind of has their different pitch. It’s all up to me now.”
As for the announcement itself, Gray said he wants to keep it simple. He’ll have the five hats on the table and will put the appropriate one on his head. He does plan to notify the five schools in advance.
“I definitely plan on making a few calls that Thursday night and Friday morning,” Gray said. “Once I have the answer, I want to let that school know I’m coming.”
And when he makes that commitment, Gray said that will be it. His recruiting will be over.
“No doubt,” he said. “Me and my family are huge on loyalty and commitment. As a man, you say something and you want to be behind that. That’s very important to me and my family. Once we make that commitment, we’re going to go ahead and shut it down and be safe for where we are.”
While the process can be stressful and take a toll on a teenager making the first major decision of his young life, Gray has kept his blood pressure in check.
“I think I’m sleeping pretty fine,” Gray said. “Pretty normal, to be honest. I know it’s a stressful thing for a lot of guys, and I can see why it’s stressful, but I want to stick to the Lord’s word, give all your anxious and all your stress to him. That’s my way of being able to sleep as normal as I would any other week. It’s been great for me. Me and my family, we’ve done a great job of letting that not become my personality. It might be tough Thursday night, but as of right now, I’m sleeping pretty well.”