Steve Spurrier’s Answer to Critics Retirement Questions Nets Four Commitments
Written by Ryan Wright
In December of 2014, after a long tough season that saw the Gamecocks finish 7-6 after an AP preseason ranking of No. 9 in the nation, South Carolina head coach Steve Spurrier muttered the worst sentence a coach his age could put out there, “two to three-year plan” in reference to how much longer he would keep coaching.
The aftermath ahead of the Signing Day 2015 was a lot of deflections and then recruits leery of trusting Spurrier’s about face stating he had no desire to retire anytime soon. The 70-year-old Hall of Fame coach is still feeling the heat about possible retirement holding a press conference on Wednesday July 22, to back off opposing college coaches and assure Class of 2016 recruits that he will be around for the long haul.
During Spurrier’s press conference he reestablishing the direction of the program stating, “This is new for South Carolina. Somebody doesn’t like your coach. We’re not too proud of what happened last year but we’re coming back. Don’t listen to our enemies.”
Spurrier went on to add, “Last year at this time I was 69, we were 11-2 and there was no question about my age. Now that we’re 7-6 we’ve got some enemies out there.”
The press conference held before the Gamecock Cookout – Pool Party helped rally the troops over the weekend leading to the commitment of four recruits; wide receiver Chris Smith, cornerback Marlon Character, offensive tackle Akeem Cooperwood, and linebacker P.J. Blue.
The haul was impressive with Character and Blue ranked as 4-star prospects and Smith and Cooperwood rated as 3-star recruits.
Smith’s commitment continued a long successful line of South Pointe High School players heading to South Carolina. The 5’10”, 170 pound, cornerback joins Devonte Holloman, Stephon Gilmore, Jadeveon Clowney, along with current Gamecock defensive end Gerald Dixon.
Georgia Military College offensive tackle Akeem Cooperwood has tremendous upside. Listed at 6’7”, 325 pounds, the former Fulton High School (Knoxville, TN) player needed the two extra years of seasoning at the JUCO level to get ready for Division-I football. South Carolina had an easier time with Cooperwood with Chattanooga, Ohio, and East Carolina as his only other suitors to date.
Blue did not attend the cookout but did camp on Saturday with the Gamecocks. Despite his size at 6’3”, 210 pounds, the Park Crossing High School (Montgomery, AL) linebacker is expected to move to safety once on the Columbia campus.
Linebackers coach Kirk Botkin helped pull Blue out of Montgomery past offers from Alabama, Clemson, Tennessee, Missouri, Louisville, and Kentucky.
If Blue’s move to safety works out, he will be paired with an outstanding secondary mate in Marlon Character. Character is a national recruit out of the Atlanta area with offers from Ohio State, Auburn, LSU, Arkansas, Alabama, Ole Miss, Wisconsin, Missouri, Kentucky, Pitt, Purdue, Virginia Tech, and Auburn to name a few.
The 6’0”, 170 pound, Grady High School star is widely considered a Top 15 player at his position in the 2016 recruiting class.
The Gamecocks now have 12 verbal commitments to their 2016 recruiting class with an even split of offensive and defensive players.
2016 South Carolina Gamecocks Verbal Commitment List
FS Marlon Character, 6’0”, 170 lbs, Grady HS, Atlanta, GA
FS Jaqui “JJ” Givens, 6’1”, 165 lbs, Atlee HS, Mechanicsville, VA
CB Tre Jackson, 5’10”, 178 lbs, Univ. Lab HS, Baton Rouge, LA
DE Cecil Stallings, 6’4”, 250 lbs, Tucker HS, Atlanta, GA
LB P.J. Blue, 6’3”, 210 lbs, Park Crossing HS, Montgomery, AL
LB Jacorey Morris, 6’3”, 220 lbs, Clarke County HS, Grove Hill, AL
OT Akeem Cooperwood, 6’7”, 325 lbs, Georgia Military College, Milledgeville, GA
OG Will Putnam, 6’5”, 270 lbs, Hickory Ridge HS, Harrisburg, NC
RB C.J. Freeeman, 5’11”, 195 lbs, Northern Guilford HS, Greensboro, NC
QB Brandon McIlwain, 6’0”, 188 lbs, Council Rock North, Newtown, PA
WR Bryan Edwards, 6’3”, 205 lbs, Conway HS, Conway, SC
WR Chris Smith, 5’10”, 170 lbs, South Pointe HS, Rock Hill, SC
Photo credit: montgomeryadvertiser.com; P.J. Blue.