STRecruiting: South Carolina eyeing another top defensive target from the capital city of North Carolina

Last weekend, South Carolina landed a commitment from heavily pursued 2028 linebacker Skylar Alston of Raleigh, NC. Alston is not the only top prospect from his area being courted by the Gamecocks’ defensive staff. His good friend, DE Darias Johnson (6-4 230) is also on the radar of defensive ends coach Deion Barnes.

Johnson visited USC for a game in September. He has not been back since, but it’s not for a lack of desire.

“I wish I could make it to another South Carolina game. I just really couldn’t,” Johnson said. “I wish I could have made it to the one last weekend. I went to that Mississippi State game. It was a loss, unfortunately. That was kind of before they picked it up this season.”

Johnson is coming off a visit to Ole Miss. He has also been to Alabama and North Carolina for games. This weekend he might head to Georgia for the Missouri game. He is supposed to visit Florida or Tennessee on November 21st, and for the 28th, he’s looking at either North Carolina or Vanderbilt.

So, it looks like Johnson won’t make it back to Columbia this season. Still, the interest from Barnes and head coach Shane Beamer remains strong.

“I talk to Coach Barnes all the time,” Johnson said. “I talk to Coach Beamer. I talk to a lot of assistants there. I get a lot of love from them. I get a lot of mail from them. I definitely got a lot of interest in South Carolina, one of my top five schools for sure. Since my recruitment has really started picking up again, I’m gaining more offers now. My top five, I’ve got to reassess it. Before I got Penn State and Florida (offers), my top six were Ole Miss, South Carolina, Tennessee, Alabama, UNC, and Virginia Tech.”

Johnson said that, with the Gamecocks, as well as the others, he is wanted for one primary job.

“They’re looking for a true pass rusher out of me and just someone to get after the quarterback, not just your average D-lineman,” Johnson said. “They really want me to get in the backfield a lot.”

South Carolina, of course, has one of the nation’s premier pass rushers in Dylan Stewart. Johnson has seen what Barnes has done in developing Stewart, and he really likes the way Stewart and the other defensive linemen go about their business.

“I would say the resilience of their edges,” Johnson said. “They’ve got guys similar in frame to me, guys that are really quick speed rushers, speed-to-power guys. They got a lot of pass rushers that have similar qualities to me, so I could definitely see myself fitting in there.”

Johnson said he’s looking at January or February for making his college commitment, and there is no favorite at this point. Some of his other offers have included Alabama, SMU, LSU, West Virginia, Auburn, Cal, Nebraska, Florida State, Miami, Texas A&M, and Georgia Tech.

This season, Johnson said he has had around 50 tackles, five sacks, three forced fumbles, and a defensive touchdown. As a sophomore, he recorded 32 tackles with four tackles for loss and a sack.