South Carolina will welcome one of its top quarterback targets back to campus on Saturday in DJ Butler of Buford, GA. The Gamecocks are in a good spot with Butler, who has visited several times. But quarterbacks coach Kendal Briles also remains heavily invested in the recruiting of Jerry Meyer III (6-0 170) of Waxahachie, TX.
Briles has already won a recruiting battle for Meyer, getting a commitment from him last August when he was at TCU. Briles offered Meyer for the Gamecocks on January 20th, and two weeks later he decommitted from TCU.
Last weekend, Meyer was in Columbia for the first time as part of a large gathering of offered recruits. He met up again with Briles and met head coach Shane Beamer for the first time. He walked away impressed with what he saw of Beamer’s program.
“I would just say the culture of the program, and how it’s run, and Coach Beamer does a great job of really installing it in the players’ heads that this is a brotherhood, and this is camaraderie,” Meyer said. “They understand that they need to play for each other to have success on and off the field.’
Meyer has had big-time success on the field throwing the football. For his career, which began in Nevada, he’s passed for 8092 yards and 115 touchdowns. Knowing his own talents and knowing what Briles likes to do with his offense, Meyer can see how he would be a great fit in that offense, whether in Fort Worth or in Columbia.
“Obviously, I was previously committed to TCU with Coach Briles, and I always kind of thought I’d be a great fit for him and kind of what he does with the offense,” Meyer said. “But I think it goes deeper than that. Just kind of the way he teaches and how he goes about things, and just the way he coaches. We’ve got to work as one when we’re on the same team and on the same field. I think once we spend more time around each other, if that were to eventually happen, I think that’s the way to do it, because the talent will speak for itself. You just add in the mental side of the ball, and get locked in with each other, then there’s no stopping you.”
No doubt for Meyer, there was a level of comfort being with Briles while in Columbia. The two had grown tight in Texas, and that familiarity is definitely a plus for South Carolina in this recruiting battle.
“I think me and Coach Briles relationship is definitely special,” Meyer said. “I have some other relationships that are up there as well. Definitely gives them some sort of an edge because I was previously committed to him, and we had that relationship established already. They are definitely in the top mix of a select few. I wouldn’t say any school is over any school as of right now. Just kind of taking the next couple of weeks and getting my OVs set up and take it from there.”
Meyer, this spring, also visited Baylor, Houston, Mississippi State, and Arkansas, and those are the schools he’s now focused on. From those three, he said he’ll definitely set official visits with USC, Baylor, and Houston. He does not have a timeline for a commitment announcement.