South Carolina camp observations: four-star QB among Beamer’s Day 1 visitors
South Carolina hosted its first day of summer recruiting camps — and the first since 2019 — Thursday morning at the Jerri and Steve Spurrier Indoor Practice Facility.
More than 250 campers partook in the event as first-year head coach Shane Beamer and his staff got their first on-campus look at a handful of prospects on the Gamecocks’ recruiting board. Here’s a look at some of the biggest happenings of the day:
- Four-star 2023 quarterback recruit Dylan Lonergan (6-foot-1, 195) spent ample time with Beamer and his assistants throughout the day. Accompanied by his father, Lonergan worked one on one with offensive coordinator Marcus Satterfield during individual drills and was consistently shadowed by South Carolina’s new play-caller. Lonergan was also introduced to strength coaches Luke Day and Chip Morton during a brief lull in on-field work, while director of football operations and former Gamecock quarterback Connor Shaw was around during the bulk of his time at camp. The Snellville, Georgia native is ranked the No. 41 player nationally in the 2023 class and the No. 4 quarterback, according to the 247Sports Composite.
- Three-star Class of 2022 Sumter High School defensive end Davin Jackson (6-foot-2, 270 pounds) looked the part of a Southeastern Conference defensive lineman as he flashed impressive athleticism, strength and speed during one-on-one drills. Jackson stuck around with coaches after camp to tour facilities and earned a South Carolina offer later in the day. Jackson already has offers from a slew of Group of Five programs along with N.C. State, West Virginia and Georgia Tech, among others.
- Like Jackson, unranked Ohio defensive end Joshua Lukusa (6-foot-5, 235 pounds) impressed coaches during his day. Rangy and wiry with a projectable frame, Lukusa was quick off the line in individual work and could be a really nice project find for Beamer and the coaching staff. The Cincinnati product has a reported offer from the hometown Bearcats, but his offer sheet should grow should he show up like he did Thursday at other schools. Lukusa, like Jackson, also looked to be sticking around to tour facilities with coaches after workouts concluded.
- Running back Jaziun Patterson, defensive tackle Alton Tarber and linebacker Jayvant Brown out of Deerfield Beach all appeared in Columbia Thursday. Brown, a four-star 2023 prospect, is the highest rated of the bunch as the No. 99 player in his class, while Patterson (three-star, No. 367 in 2022 class) and Tarber (three-star, No. 913 overall in 2022 class) are also on the Gamecocks’ radar. Patterson, whose offer sheet already includes Alabama, Auburn, Florida and Florida State, showed soft hands and a speedy break running routes Thursday. Tarber was also dominant in one-on-one drills and showed some spurt at his massive 6-foot-1, 305-pound size.
- Also joining the Deerfield Beach contingent was coach Tyrus McCloud. McCloud, a former NFL vet and two-time Conference USA Defensive Player of the Year at Louisville in the 1990s, accompanied the group to Columbia.
- More locally, three-star 2022 offensive tackle Jackson Hall (f6-foot-4, 300 pounds) out of Belton-Honea Path High School attended Thursday’s camp. Hall has received interest from Duke, Navy, Syracuse and Virginia Tech, but a handful of South Carolina coaches chatted with him and his dad throughout the day. Hall is making the rounds during camp season, having already been to Tennessee. He’s also slated to workout at Appalachian State and Georgia State, among others.
Beaufort class of 2023 defensive tackle Eamon Smalls was on campus during Thursday’s event. Smalls — listed at 6-foot-1, 330 pounds — looked every bit his listed height. He was previously offered by Will Muschamp’s staff.
- South Carolina executive director of character and player development Derrick Moore spent the majority of Thursday’s camp setting an excited tone for prospects. Moore spoke with players throughout the day and served as a hype-man of sorts for the event. A former NFL running back, he spent more than two decades at Georgia Tech before joining Beamer’s staff.
- Gamecocks running backs Kevin Harris and MarShawn Lloyd spent some time watching prospects during the morning session. Both chatted with coaches and watched players run through workouts before lunch. Lloyd is currently on his way back from a torn ACL that ended his first season at South Carolina during fall camp last year.
- Some smaller schools around the South were also at South Carolina’s camp scouting prospects. Coaches from Gardner-Webb and App State were among the contingent.
This story was originally published June 3, 2021 at 4:41 PM with the headline "South Carolina camp observations: four-star QB among Beamer’s Day 1 visitors."
Ben Portnoy
The State