This Gamecocks Blog normally does not point out when a player visits the University of South Carolina as we leave that to the other outlets but since it is a quarterback this time around, we feel it is worth a note of mentioning.  On campus for a visit today is quarterback Brendan Nosovitch (6-2 195) out of Central Catholic in the Allentown, PA area.

The Gamecocks have offered and quarterbacks coach, also his recruiter, GA Mangus has let him know that the Gamecocks have strong interest in him for the Class of 2012 and has even made a trip to PA to visit him.

Nosovitch has offers from Virginia and Temple. He’s also getting interest from Penn State, Maryland, Notre Dame, Rutgers, Northwestern, Pitt, Purdue, Vanderbilt and North Carolina. He has been to Maryland, Rutgers and Penn State and he will visit North Carolina the day after USC.  He grew up a PSU fan and it may be tough to tear him apart from that choice if the offer is on the table.  But USC could use a QB like him for the future.

Last season in a spread offense he passed for 3111 yards and 43 touchdowns and rushed for 1700 yards and 25 scores as he led his team to the 3A state title.  Nosovitch claims a 4.6-second 40 yard dash and a 4.3-second pro shuttle.

Here is a video of him in action -

Here are some interesting nuggets of information concerning South Carolina Gamecocks recruiting of late -

Curious as to the reasons why Coach Darrin Horn and the USC Gamecocks men's basketball program is not targeting Jared Guest as a potential recruit for the Class of 2011.  Guest is a local palmetto state product, he is a native of Columbia and a product of Richland Northeast High School.  Guest, coming out of high school, attended Charis Prep in Wilson, NC. He is uncommitted at this point and starting to drawing major attention.

He visited VCU and Maryland recently with a Georgia trip scheduled.  South Carolina is not looking at this kid, which I can not understand.  Guest, 6'8" 190lbs,  can play the three or four spot which could be a good fit for USC going into the future as the need for players down low is there.  He is a "Horn type" big guy, meaning he is tall and lengthy.  He will not be over physical but he has the spring in his step, combined with upside to grow into a solid three or four option underneath the basket. He averaged 15 points and 8 rebounds per game last season.

Not saying he is a a program-changing recruit but he is a local kid that is getting interest from the likes of VCU and Maryland...why not USC?

Below is a video of this young man, you be the judge...seeing him play below, knowing he is good enough for VCU and Maryland....wouldn't you think USC should make a run for a local product?  Maybe there is a back-story to this that you can share or he could not be a Gamecock fan which I find hard to imagine.

The South Carolina Gamecocks landed a talented defensive linemen in Carlos Hood today to fit nicely in the Class of 2012.  Hood (6'4" 275 lbs) is out of Stone Mountain, GA and is the third commitment for the Gamecocks' 2012 class.

Hood is the second player to commit to the Gamecocks and the second from the State of Georgia this week as TJ Holloman did it last weekend.  Hood chose to be a Gamecocks over such offers from the likes of Auburn, Mississippi State, Ole Miss, Miami, South Florida, Illinois, East Carolina and Southern Miss.

This is a very nice pickup for USC to go up front on the D line.  USC is really building some impressive depth upfront on the defensive side of the ball.  Hood could be a factor for playing time early but could be well-suited for a redshirt year to get stronger.  Having him up there with the likes of Clowney is a nice thought for the future of the program once players like Ingram and Robertson are graduated.  Hood has good feet and good hands; should be a 3-4 star kid once the stars are handed out.

Here is a video of the newest Gamecock in action -

The USC Gamecocks recruiting for basketball continues and a new name has emerged that Coach Darrin Horn is looking at, Brenton Williams.  The 5'11" combo guard out of Santa Fe College is on campus this weekend looking at South Carolina as a place to finish out his college career.

Brenton Williams is the latest potential target for Coach Horn to fill the gaps in his basketball team.  Some other players he is looking at are: Eli Carter,  Hickey, Colvin, and Ware.

Williams was recently selected as a All Mid-Florida Basketball team member for the 2010-2011 season, in which, he averaged 11.8 points, 1.7 assists and 2.0 rebounds per game.

Williams has three years of eligibility after spending one year at Santa Fe College.  Here is a nice video of a poster dunk he did and his official bio from SF -

Gamecocks recruiting continues and the efforts landed a recent linebacker for the football team but there are many others to try and get to drink the "garnet kool-aid," let's review some activity in the Gamecocks basketball world.

Along with the names of Hickey, Colvin, and Ware. There is another name floating around the Gamecocks basketball recruiting circuit - point guard Eli Carter of Brewster Academy out of New Hampshire. He is rated a three star recruit by Rivals and was going to be a St. Bona player but went away from that choice and is now back on the open market.  Rated as the 22nd best PG and in the top 110 players....well, USC could do no wrong in landing him.

USC has contacted his coach and expressed interest yet no formal movement yet. Carter, 6'2", averaged 15 points, 5 assists and 5 rebounds per game.

Here is a video of him in action -



If you want to follow him on twitter, you can -> http://twitter.com/EliCart3r .

Coach Steve Spurrier and the USC football team landed their second commitment Sunday night from T.J. Holloman of Atlanta.  Holloman visited USC this past weekend and attended the spring game.  After seeing what USC has to offer, he said yes.

Holloman played quarterback as well as linebacker last season and said the Gamecocks like him as an outside linebacker. Last season, he had 48 tackles and 4 interceptions.

Holloman also had offers from Louisville, Illinois and NC State. He drew interest from Clemson, Florida, Alabama, Tennessee, Georgia, Georgia Tech, Auburn, Vanderbilt and North Carolina.

Love this statement from Holloman on why he chose South Carolina -

"The graduation rates at South Carolina are real high," he said. "They get players to the NFL. I really like Spurrier's focus. His first focus is on schoolwork. They won a lot of games last year, were 6-1 at home and won the SEC East. I think they are an up and coming program and I want to be part of a good program both on and off the field."

Holloman, 6-foot-3 220 pounds, is the second commitment for the Gamecocks’ 2012 class.  He joins Kendric Salley as future Gamecocks in the Class of 2012.

Here is a video of him in action -

This South Carolina Gamecocks recruiting nugget is written to bring attention to USC men's hoops pursuit to get some basketball players on the squad for 2011-2012.  We mentioned Anthony Hickey of Hopkinsville, KY recently in this blog posting earlier in the week.  Well, two additional targets have surfaced that Horn is showing interest in of late:

Kevin Ware and Chris Colvin....let's shine the spotlight....

It is our desire on this Gamecocks blog to keep you up-to-speed on recruiting news of interest.  We can not compete with recruiting outlets like Rivals and Scout, but we can provide just a general fan's perspective on some South Carolina recruiting efforts being done by our beloved Gamecocks.  So we introduce to you Gamecock Recruiting Nuggets. 

The intent is to offer "bit size" pieces of info (aka nuggets) on some prospects that the USC sports programs are pursuing, so we will try to cover basketball and football with a occasional baseball spotlight.  We will be short to the point and give our spin.  Hope you enjoy our nuggets...

We will start by bringing to light Kevin Rainey, who is close to making his college choice known....

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The South Carolina men's hoops program, due to the many changes the last two weeks, has a opening on the team for 2011.  To fill it, Coach Darrin Horn is after is 5-11 Anthony Hickey of Hopkinsville, KY.  Horn feels he needs "insurance at point guard" with current starting point guard Bruce Ellington following his heart to give football a try.

Hickey was named Mr. Basketball in Kentucky this past high school basketball season.  It was reported yesterday by Gamecock Anthem, that Horn offered Hickey.  Check out his highlight video and trick shot to see what this kid could bring to the USC hoops squad...