Had the coaching change at Penn State not occurred, DE James Pace (6-4 235) of Hyattsville, MD, would likely have been committed to the Nittany Lions at this point. Why? Because he had a strong relationship with then Penn State defensive ends coach Deion Barnes.
Barnes is now at South Carolina, and he has picked back up on the recruiting of Pace, who was offered last year by then USC defensive ends coach Sterling Lucas, who is now at LSU.
It’s because of Barnes that the Gamecocks are in a battle with Auburn, Tennessee, Georgia, and Maryland for Pace.
“I was heavy on Penn State. I was almost going to commit there,” Pace said. “He ended up leaving, so that kind of messed me and the recruiting with Penn State up. I already had an offer from South Carolina, and he was telling me the D-line is going to be different. It’s going to be something like how it used to be at Penn State. That’s how I like to be used, like how Coach Barnes will use me on defense. I like the way they would use me in their scheme. That really was it, just Coach Barnes so far. I didn’t get a chance to chop it up with all of the other coaches, but I’ve got a strong relationship with that coach right there. That influenced it a lot.”
Pace said the reason he and Barnes have connected so well is their passion for football.
“We both love it equally,” Pace said. “He sees what I can be. When he was at Penn State, he coached Abdul Carter and Chop (Demeioun Robinson). It was like a strong comparison with us. It’s the versatility, and I’m fast off the ball. I can drop back. I can be used anywhere. I know I will probably an outside linebacker when I get to college. Right now I play straight D-end, but I’m OK with how he would used me.”
Pace has not yet scheduled a visit to USC, either official or unofficial, but he and Barnes are talking about dates. He has scheduled official visits to Auburn on May 9th, Tennessee on June 5th and to Georgia on June 19th.
This spring, Pace has made unofficial visits to Auburn and Syracuse, and right now, he considers Auburn as his favorite.
Last season, Pace totaled 81 tackles with 14 sacks.