South Carolina received the penultimate spring unofficial visit from LB AJ Randle of Raleigh, and will get his first official visit in May. Randle and his mom spent two days with the Gamecocks last Friday and Saturday for his first visit to Columbia since attending a game last season.
“It went very well,” Randle said. “I have a good relationship with the coaching staff. We have an OV setup for May 1st through 3rd, so it was good to get up there and see the guys fly around in practice before that OV date.”
Randle spent a lot of time watching Gamecock defensive coordinator and linebackers coach Clayton White work with his players. Things looked very familiar to him out on the practice field.
“They had some guys that are kind of built like me with the same kind of skill set and assets that I have that I bring to a team,” Randle said. “It’s good to see how he works with them, and how they are on the field. That’s a good thing right there to know that he knows how to coach guys with my mass and my length.”
Head coach Shane Beamer, along with White, also made their pitch for why he should eventually cast his lot with the Gamecocks.
“It’s closer to home, and it’s in the SEC, and it’s a good program,” Randle said. “They’ve been there for a while, and they want to stay there. They are looking for my caliber of athlete on their team. I kind of fit the mold of what South Carolina is looking for. They’ve been one of my top schools, but it’s always good to go back and get a new look from a different view. We got to see practice this time. We saw a game the other time. Now, we’ll probably get to see them put on a show for their OV, so that’s good as well.”
Randle has had a very busy spring. He has also been to NC State, Duke, Oregon, Pitt, Florida, Miami, Georgia, Louisville, and Ohio State. Weekend after next, he will check out Notre Dame.
Along with the official visit to USC on May 1st, Randle also has a date set with Ohio State for June 19th. He said Florida, Miami, and Georgia are other schools at the top with him right now which could get official visits.
Randle has a tentative date of June 30th for his commitment announcement, and he does not have a stand-alone favorite right now.