One of the prospects new South Carolina offensive coordinator Kendal Briles contacted from his days in Texas was WR Brady Knowles (6-5 190) of Southlake. Briles had offered Knowles for TCU, and after getting together with Gamecock receivers coach Mike Furrey, a USC offer was extended to Knowles.
Saturday, Knowles will be in Columbia for his first look at the Gamecocks in action. The visit will also be his first of the spring, as he begins the final stage of his recruiting process. He’s excited about what he’ll hear from Briles and Furrey, and what he’ll witness in person.
“I’ve been talking with Coach Briles and Coach Furrey. They both push for me like every day,” Knowles said. “They said they can totally see me playing in their offense. And I want to see the campus and the facilities and how I feel when I’m there. Family vibe. How much will I hear from other players and some of the staff. That’s mostly what I’m looking for, and how they run their program.”
After the South Carolina visit, Knowles will visit TCU on April 3rd and Arkansas on April 4th. He will then shift into his official visits with Illinois on April 10th, USC on May 1st, TCU on May 29th, Arkansas on June 5th, and Kentucky on June 12th. He is also considering visits to Virginia Tech and to Oklahoma.
Going into Saturday, South Carolina has as good a shot at Knowles as any of the rest he plans to visit officially.
“I would definitely put them in my top five,” Knowles said. “I have a really great relationship with them. I’ve had a great relationship with Coach Briles since the start of my sophomore year.”
Knowles is looking at June 20th, his birthday, for a possible commitment announcement.
Last season, he had 36 catches for 816 yards and seven touchdowns.