They say Virginia is for lovers. But in the case of South Carolina offensive line coach Lonnie Teasley, he’s loving a major target from Virginia. Teasley offered 2027 OT Junior Saunders (6-5 280) of Woodberry Forest, VA after seeing him up close in camp last June. Since then, they’ve become strong phone pals.
“I hear from Coach Teasley a lot,” Saunders said. “They are top up there with my communication. They communicate with me very well. He tries to critique my day. He does the little things to see how my day is going, and that’s very special to me. They send me quotes every day, and some of the graphics are very nice as well. Last time I hopped on the phone with him and he just told me to go out there and catch a win.”
The question for Teasley is, can he eventually catch Saunders? Right now, he’s got the Gamecocks in solid shape with Saunders’ recruitment.
“I love everything about the team and the program,” Saunders said. “I’m blessed that they have given me the opportunity to further the relationship with them. I went there for a camp and then I visited. I loved the campus. He loves my footwork, fast hands. He loves how lengthy I am. He loves how I play the game, period.”
While the Gamecocks made their move with Saunders in the summer, Clemson is moving more slowly with him. He visited the Tigers last spring to watch a practice. Since then, he’s been hearing from offensive line coach Matt Luke and others who work with him.
“They talk to me a lot,” he said. “They send me a lot of graphics. They really hit up my phone every day as well. I talk to Coach Luke, Coach (Carson) Cramer and Brandon Thomas, an assistant line coach. It’s a great school. That’s one of the schools that I’m looking to build a relationship with.”
Saunders plays a lot of his games at Woodberry Forest on Saturday, so his opportunity for game day college visits is limited. He’s only been to Virginia so far this season. He wants to develop more relationships with schools contacting him and then drop a short list.
Besides USC, some of his other offers are Ohio State, West Virginia, Virginia, Rutgers, Oklahoma, Virginia Tech, NC State, Pitt, Florida State, Wisconsin, North Carolina, Syracuse, Maryland, Penn State, East Carolina and Southern Miss.
Along with USC, Saunders mentioned Tennessee, Virginia Tech, Virginia, Oklahoma, Ohio State, West Virginia and NC State as some of the other schools he thinks highly of at this point in his recruitment.