STRecruiting: South Carolina adds one of the state’s top athletes Sunday with a commitment from Hammond LB Jackson Ross

What could turn out to be a huge recruiting week for Shane Beamer and South Carolina got a kick start on Sunday afternoon with a public commitment from Hammond standout LB Jackson Ross (6-3 215). Ross, who stars in football and basketball for the Skyhawks, decided to stay close to home after also giving strong consideration to Vanderbilt and Texas Tech.

“I am and have always been a Gamecock,” Ross said in making his announcement.

He’ll follow in his father, David Ross’s, footsteps. The elder Ross played basketball for the Gamecocks under Eddie Fogler.

Ross also held offers from North Carolina, Duke, Wake Forest, Virginia Tech, USF, and Louisville. He built a close relationship with Gamecock linebacker coaches Clayton White and Trey Money, and he said recently that was big for him.

“I really love Coach White and Coach Money,” Ross said.  “I think they’ve done one of the better jobs of showing me how I fit into the type of linebacker they are recruiting in terms of athleticism and the different types of plays that their guys are going to be able to make.  They’ve done a good job of showing me how I fit into their model and scheme.  They’ve even gone so far as to put different plays I’ve made side by side with plays their linebackers are consistently making.  They want their linebackers to be able to make a lot of plays in space. They play in space a lot.  Being able to run with faster running backs, being able to cover the tight end or take the back out of the backfield in coverage, you’ve got to be athletic to be able to do that.  I think I pass all those tests in what they’re looking for athletically in a linebacker.”

Ross said earlier this week that the USC situation at linebacker would be good for him because the Gamecocks are losing a lot from that room after the 2026 season.

“The biggest thing about South Carolina is they’re losing a lot of athleticism from the linebacker room with potentially these three guys all moving on to the next level,” Ross said. “There’s some things that I can bring into the linebacker room that they’re going to be needing a lot.”

Last season, Ross was in on 102 tackles with 22 tackles for loss and eight sacks. He is the Gamecocks’ 13th commitment for the 2027 class, and the first at linebacker.

The Gamecocks are also on commitment watch this week for CB Josh Dobson on Wednesday, SAF Davion Jones on Thursday, and OL Nate Carson on Friday.

2027 USC Commitments

1. Kelvin Millington                  CB       6-4       185        Bogart, GA
2. John Archer                        DT       6-5       300        Fayetteville, NC
3. Will Endicott                        OC       6-4       280        Prosper, TX
4. Jaxon Elston                       OT       6-5       308        Oxford, AL
5. Clayton Lee                        OT       6-7       290        Callahan, FL
6. James Ross                       OT       6-5       295        Ridge View
7. Jerry Meyer III                    QB       6-0       170        Waxahachie, TX
8. Brayden Tyson                   RB       6-0       215        Snellville, GA
9. Judah Lancaster                 TE        6-5       240        Brentwood, TN
10. DJ Huggins                        WR       5-11     165        Kennesaw, GA
11. Javien Robinson                 WR       6-2       196        McKeesport, PA
12. Iveon Lewis                        WR      6-2       180        Richmond