South Carolina defensive coordinator Clayton White made a visit up to Garner, NC, recently to scout ATH AJ Randle (6-3 210). The South Carolina recruiting office first made contact with Randle on social media and set up the visit for White, who sees Randle similarly to current linebacker Fred Johnson, who, like Randle, played some strong safety in high school.
“He came two weeks ago now, on a Friday before one of my games,” Randle said. “That was the first time we had been introduced to each other. He took my measurements and sized me up a little bit. He asked me some questions about my family and how the season is going. We talked about getting up for a game. We went up there this past Saturday, and I got an offer.”
Randle has the size of a linebacker but the skills of a strong safety. White apparently sees a prospect who could slide between the two positions if necessary.
“The first thing he touched on was me playing kind of like a strong safety,” Randle said. “He was saying I’m already long and athletic. Playing safety takes some IQ. Transferring over into college, just being able to be a vocal leader, and also being able to cover, I’ll be able to play in space.”
Randle came to Columbia last weekend with his family, and it was his first time visiting the Gamecocks for a game.
“In comparison to some of the other places that I’ve been, it had the biggest stadium, and all the seats were full, so that was a good thing,” Randle said. “The fans were loud. They were rowdy. Even in the loss, they stayed to the end. They kept support for the team.”
Randle has also been to games this season at Michigan State, Virginia, Duke, North Carolina twice and Coastal Carolina. He might go to Mississippi State this weekend, or he just might stay home. November 1st, he’s looking for a visit to either Ohio State or Florida. He said he will definitely get to both at some point, and he also wants to visit Florida State. He said he won’t get to a game at nearby NC State, but he has been there in the past for recruiting visits.
Randel also visited Clemson for the spring game last April.
Some of his other offers include Texas A&M, SMU, UConn, Tennessee, NC State, Georgia Tech, Ohio State, Michigan State, Mississippi State, Coastal Carolina, East Carolina and Duke.
USC, Randle said, has some staying power with him as he goes through the process. He plans to take in some junior days and make official visits before making a decision.
Last season, Randle was in on 63 tackles with two interceptions and five pass deflections.