OL Jaxon Elston (6-5 308) of Oxford, AL, announced a commitment to South Carolina on Sunday afternoon via a graphic produced by Hayes Fawcett of Rivals. Elston had narrowed his list to the Gamecocks, Georgia Tech, and Arkansas.
“The staff is amazing, and they are amazing at building relationships, and that’s just something that’s so important to me,” Elston said on Sunday.
Elston had official visits with all three, but will only visit USC on June 5th. Elston also had offers from Georgia, Virginia Tech, Oklahoma State, Missouri, Florida State, West Virginia, Auburn, and Purdue.
In Columbia, Elston will join his former high school teammate, freshman linebacker Keenan Britt.
Elston had set June 20th for his commitment announcement, following all of his official visits, but after his last visit to USC in March for a spring practice, and following visits and conversations with offensive line coaches Randy Clements and Jason Smith, he already had a good enough feeling about the Gamecocks to make his decision now.
“They’re just telling me how good I would fit in at South Carolina,” Elston said last week. “If I were to come down there, they would develop me and get me in there as early as possible, get me as much experience as I can as early as possible. That’s stuff I like to hear. Me and everybody on the South Carolina staff have a good relationship. We just build it every single day.”
That relationship is particularly strong with Clements, the first year Gamecock offensive line coach who quickly made Elston a top target once arriving in Columbia.
“He knows how to develop players and how to develop me into the best player I can be,” Elston said. “I want to come somewhere that will be able to develop me. He says I’m really athletic, quick, and explosive. I can move in space very well. To be 320 pounds, I’m just very athletic.”
Elston is the seventh commitment for the Gamecocks’ 20-27 class and the second for the offensive line.