Former South Carolina defensive ends coach Sterling Lucas had been working DE Elijah Cox (6-5 230) of Atlanta for the Gamecocks before departing for LSU. New defensive ends coach Deion Barnes picked back up on that recruitment, and Cox made his third visit to see the Gamecocks last week during a spring practice session.
“South Carolina is a great place, great environment,” Cox said. “I love what Coach Barnes is about, coming from Penn State and transitioning to the new South Carolina players. It was fun to watch. I picked up some things I can take back home. It was my first time meeting Coach Barnes. He spoke on my game and what I can do to get better. I really appreciate Coach Barnes as a coach.”
Through the process, Cox has also gotten to know head coach Shane Beamer and defensive coordinator Clayton White. Those two, along with Barnes, will ultimately decide if the Gamecocks will offer Cox.
“Coach Barnes is a very serious person, very professional,” Cox said. “I really like what he’s doing. I trust his timing with everything. The vibes felt great talking to Coach Beamer and to Coach White. The vibes were great as always.”
Cox has offers from Florida State, Ole Miss, Tulane, Wake Forest, Kentucky, Missouri, East Carolina, Purdue, Baylor, and others. An offer from the Gamecocks would be big for him at this point.
“I feel like it would be good in my recruiting,” he said. “I value the place. I value South Carolina and how they treat me. If I were to get an offer from South Carolina, I’d be interested in it, for sure.”
Cox has already scheduled official visits to Florida State and Ole Miss for June. He also plans to see both this spring. He previously visited USC for the 2025 spring game, and for the Oklahoma game last season.
In eight games last season, as reported to MaxPreps, Cox had 35 tackles with eight tackles for loss and four sacks.