Some of the other prospects who have indicated they plan to visit USC Saturday include WR Tramel Terry, LB Jalen Stevens and LB Gerald Turner of Goose Creek, ATH TJ Logan of Greensboro, NC, WR Mike Williams of Lake Marion, OL Tyrone Crowder of Rockingham, NC, DE Devin Washington of Orlando, DL Tashawn Bower of Somerville, NJ, OL Andy Dodd of Lindale, GA, DL Michael Hill of Pendleton,  RB Donnie Miles and OL Devondre Seymour of Suwanee, GA (Seymour is the son of NFL star Richard Seymour), OL Bryce King and committed OL DJ Park of Dillon, LB Rueben Foster of LaGrange, GA, and DB Jadar Johnson of Orangeburg-Wilkinson.

Junior DL Greg Gilmore (6-4 279) of Hope Mills, NC visited Clemson last weekend and was very happy with the visit. “I had high expectations from Clemson and they didn’t disappoint,” Gilmore said. “I loved the place. It’s a great community-a football town.” He spent most of the visit with coach Dan Brooks but also spoke with Brent Venables and Dabo Swinney. “They have a vision of family, of winning football games,” he said. “They make Clemson seem like the place to be. I really like coach Brooks. We talk a lot on the phone.” Gilmore has offers from Clemson, USC, NC State, North Carolina, East Carolina, Florida, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Virginia Tech, California, Vanderbilt and Maryland. He plans to narrow his list soon. “I will come out with a top 10 or maybe a top five soon,” he said. “If I were going to name some of my top schools now I would say Clemson, Florida, Tennessee, Virginia Tech and NC State.” Gilmore will visit Virginia Tech February 18th and could visit UNC on the 8th. He does not have a favorite.

Junior OL Cameron Dillard (6-3 285) of Canton, MI flew south last weekend to visit Clemson. “It was really nice,” Dillard said. “I got to talk to coach (Robbie) Caldwell and coach (Dabo) Swinney. They’re really good guys.” Dillard does not have any favorites but appreciates the Clemson program. “I like that they bring family, faith and academics to football,” he said. “Coach Caldwell has been really honest with me, He says they need to get to know me better and that they’re really interested in me. I think they will offer me in the future.” Next Saturday Dillard will visit Michigan State and heads to West Virginia February 11th. Dillard’s father is a South Carolina native and Citadel graduate while his mother is from Greensboro. “We went to see the grandparents while we were down there,” Dillard added. His offers are from Western Michigan, Eastern Michigan, Central Michigan and Buffalo. No leaders for the Michigan lineman.

Junior OL Bryce King (6-4 290) of Dillon made his way to Clemson last Saturday where he was shown a good time. “They took us all around the campus and we got to see the locker room,” King said. “My favorite part was putting on the jerseys in the locker room and also running down the hill.” Those in attendance were able to try on Clemson jerseys while in the locker room. They did not leave the room with the jerseys and later ran down the hill. The two activities were separate from one another. King’s next visit will be to USC this upcoming Saturday. He is not unfamiliar with USC or Clemson having visited each campus several times. In February, he heads to Virginia Tech. His offers include USC, Clemson, Virginia Tech, North Carolina, NC State, LSU and Tennessee. “I think Oregon or Georgia Tech will be the next to offer,” he added. King does not have any favorites saying, “I like every school that is recruiting me.”

DE DeMarcus Walker (6-4 265) of Jacksonville, FL attended Clemson’s junior day last Saturday, and the Tigers have put themselves in the lead position for him according to his coach. “Clemson probably has done the best job up to date,” coach Adam Geiss said. “He’s very comfortable with their staff. He feels good around their staff and enjoys being there. I feel like Clemson leads. He really likes Clemson. Clemson leads, no doubt about it.” Walker also has visited Florida State and Miami and will go to Alabama February 18th. Geiss said Alabama coach Nick Saban plans to call Wednesday with an offer. Walker also has offers from USC, Southern Miss, Vanderbilt, Kentucky, Mississippi State, Tennessee, West Virginia, North Carolina, Louisville, Miami and others. Geiss said though USC has offered, the Gamecocks have not yet been by the school to check on Walker. Geiss said Walker will make his decision the first week of August. Last season Walker had 24 tackles for loss with 14 sacks.

Junior QB Josh Dobbs (6-3 190) of Alpharetta, GA had planned to attend Clemson’s junior day Saturday but couldn’t making it in because he was taking the SAT. Not that the test was much of a problem. Dobbs is a 4.0 student who’s never missed a day of class and has an offer from Princeton. But some major programs also like him including Clemson and USC. “I’ve been talking with South Carolina, Clemson, Tennessee, Virginia, Stanford and Princeton,” Dobbs said. “A lot of schools have come thru. Clemson came by a couple of weeks ago and I’ve talked to Coach Mangus and he plans to come by the school in the spring. Clemson and South Carolina seem pretty interested.” Dobbs said he plans to get to future junior days at both. He went to games at both last season. Dobbs is a duel-threat quarterback who runs the spread. Last season he passed for 3200 yards and 32 touchdowns with 10 interceptions. He also rushed for 300 yards and two scores.

Junior LB Jalen Stevens (6-3 215) of Goose Creek has named USC, Clemson and Georgia Tech as his top three in that order. “I’m really loving South Carolina right now,” Stevens said. “They’re showing me a lot of love too. I think they have the best defensive scheme to get me to where I want to go.” Stevens says he has told Steve Spurrier, Jr. that he would like to play the spur position for the Gamecocks. “I really like what Antonio Allen did there being able to attack the quarterback and drop back in coverage,” he said. “I plan on staying at 215 (pounds).” Stevens will visit USC this weekend with teammates LB Gerald Turner and WR Tramel Terry. He is good friends with OL Brandon Shell. Stevens also likes Clemson and plans to camp there this summer. “Their defensive line coach wants me to come for that so I’m going to go,” said Stevens. His last trip to Clemson was for the Florida State game. Stevens is looking to camp at Georgia and possibly Alabama as well. He has not received an offer but is hearing from USC, Clemson, Georgia Tech, Connecticut, Tennessee, Florida State, Alabama, NC State, North Carolina and Notre Dame among others.

USC has put itself in strong position early for RB TJ Logan (5-10 175) of Greensboro, NC. “South Carolina is still his favorite,” said Logan’s coach Johnny Roscoe. “They offered him when he was a tenth grader. He went to a couple of games there. They want him to visit this weekend but he’s got basketball.” Logan plans to visit West Virginia next week. He also has offers from Clemson, Ohio State, Virginia, Cal, North Carolina, NC State and Tennessee. Logan has met with new USC running backs coach Everette Sands, but it will be Shawn Elliott who will be his primary recruiter. Elliott is taking over much of the recruiting territory in North Carolina previously handled by Jay Graham. Roscoe calls Logan “the fastest player I’ve ever coached.” Logan rushed for 2460 yards and 43 touchdowns last season. He led the state in rushing and scored 5 touchdowns in the state championship game.

Junior LB Gerald Turner of Goose Creek has offers from USC and Clemson and will make an unofficial visit to Columbia this weekend. “I’ve been there before and I’m familiar with the campus and the city,” Turner said. “Coach (Steve) Spurrier, Jr. told me he is going to sit me down with coach (Lorenzo) Ward so he can talk to me for a while.” It will be Turner’s first meeting with the new head of the Gamecocks defense. On February 18th he travels to Georgia Tech and then will visit Clemson March 3rd. “It’ll be my first chance to meet (Tigers new defensive coordinator) coach (Brent) Venables,” he said. Turner is receiving interest from Georgia Tech, Notre Dame, Alabama, LSU, North Carolina, NC State, Tennessee and Georgia. “I’m going to try and visit some of those schools over the summer,” Turner said. No favorites for the Goose Creek product.

OL JJ Gustafson (6-6 265) of Dallas received a visit from Clemson offensive coordinator Chad Morris recently and was offered by the Tigers. “He offered me and two of my teammates,” Gustafson said. “He also offered wide receiver Jake Oliver and linebacker Jordan Mastrogiovanni.” Gustafson’s other offers are from SMU, Texas A&M, Texas Tech, Baylor, Purdue and Arkansas. “Coach Morris is from Lake Travis which is a Texas powerhouse,” he said. “He told me he would love to get some Texas kids to Clemson and that they have needs on the O-Line.” He added that he is interested in the Tigers. “I would love to visit them and as many schools as I can but, logistically, I don’t know if that’s possible,” Gustafson said. “I wouldn’t rule out an official visit. I know they know how to put points on the board and had a good recruiting class this year. That bodes well for the future.” Other schools showing interest include Oklahoma and Oklahoma State. He plans to attend a junior day at each school and believes offers could come soon. “I don’t have any favorites right now and am considering all schools,” he said.

Junior DB Nick Washington (5-11 170) of Jacksonville, FL has offers from Clemson, USC, Florida, Florida State, Alabama, Auburn, Notre Dame, Tennessee, North Carolina, Cincinnati, Central Florida, Miami, Vanderbilt and Virginia. He is garnering interest from most ACC and SEC schools. Washington listed USC, Clemson, Alabama, Auburn, Florida and FSU as his top schools and has visited each. “Clemson and South Carolina have great family atmospheres and strong teams,” Washington said. “They’re both up-and-coming programs that had great seasons and both have good coaching staffs.” Washington has been to games at Death Valley and Williams-Brice. “I really like them both,” he added. He has also attended several games at Florida and was at the Alabama-Auburn game this past season saying, “It was a lot of fun.” Washington does not have any plans for upcoming visits and does not have a leader. He rushed for 11 touchdowns in his junior campaign and had four interceptions returning one for another score.

DE Jaylen Miller (6-3 250) of Gaffney is expected to be one of the state’s top defensive prospects next season. An excellent performer in the classroom, Gaffney coach Dan Jones says the four year starter matches that on the field. “He’s very athletic, determined and strong-nosed,” Jones said. “He’s strong, a state champion weight-lifter. He’s a five technique and sometimes a seven when there is a tight end. He’ll probably be a defensive tackle or nose tackle in college. He has great feet and good upper body strength.” Miller has not yet been offered but that’s probably just a matter of time. He’s been drawing interest from USC, Clemson, NC State, Tennessee, North Carolina, Vanderbilt, Maryland and several others.

Junior LB Brett Wade (6-2 220) of Kennedale, TX received an offer from Clemson last week as offensive coordinator Chad Morris delivered it in person. “Coach Morris came by to see me and told me about the offer,” Wade said. “He just told me that they were looking forward to getting me down there to look around and see what they have to offer.” Wade is also familiar with the Tigers new defensive coordinator Brent Venables. “He was recruiting me while he was at Oklahoma,” he said. Wade is somewhat familiar with the Tiger program. “I know that they’re the defending ACC champs and that they have some crazy fans down there,” Wade said. His other offers are from Penn State, Texas Tech, Missouri and Tulsa with interest from Georgia, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and most Texas schools. He has visited Texas A&M, TCU, Texas and Kansas State. “They’re all D-1 schools with top-notch facilities, ” he said. “The only real differences are the settings at each school.” He is unsure of when he will visit Clemson but does plan to do so in the future. As a junior he totaled 130 tackles and just under 10 sacks. No leaders for Wade.

DL Greg Webb (6-2 305) of Erial, NJ now has 24 offers. He already had offers from Connecticut, Rutgers, Syracuse, Michigan State, Penn State, Iowa State, Central Florida and NC State adding offers from Boston College, Wisconsin, North Carolina, Alabama, Arkansas and Kansas among others. He continues to hear from USC. “I talk to them all of the time on Facebook and stuff,” Webb said. “They want me to come down to Gamecock country for a visit.” Webb is interested in such a trip. “I want to visit South Carolina and Alabama,” he said. “I’m not sure when that will be. This spring, I plan on taking one long trip to visit a lot of schools but we’re trying to figure out what we can afford.” USC is a possible destination during that trip. Webb says he is trying to get used to the attention and plans to narrow his list down in the near future. “Just a year or two ago, I was just a player. Now with all of the offers, people seem to know who I am,” he said. “It hasn’t been too bad and I am adjusting to the attention. I may try to start narrowing my list and focusing on some schools.” He is unsure of how many schools will make that list and when he will begin to make it. Webb does not have a leader.

By: Rixon Lane

Clemson made steps towards its future yesterday, and not only with its 2012 signing class. The Tigers picked up a commitment from quarterback DeShaun Watson, from Gainesville, GA. Watson is only a sophomore and is the Tigers’ first commitment for the class of 2014. SportsTalk had Watson’s head coach, Bruce Miller, on tonight to talk about his quarterback, who Miller says reminds him of current Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton.

AUDIO: Bruce Miller

DeShaun Watson

Signing Day on Wednesday was about more than just the present for Clemson.  The Tigers also took steps toward building future classes with commitments for 2013 and 2014.

LB DJ Greenlee of Daniel made his pledge to the Tigers for the 2013 class.  He’s the son of Clemson assistant strength coach Larry Greenlee and was offered by the Tigers last weekend.

Read more about Greenlee’s commitment at PalmettoSports.com.

Committing to Clemson for the 2014 class was QB DeShaun Watson of Gainesville, GA.  Watson is regarded as one of the top quarterbacks in the country for his class.  He had been strong on Clemson from the moment offensive coordinator Chad Morris made him an offer. 

Read more about Watson’s commitment at PalmettoSports.com.

Dabo Swinney

By: Rixon Lane

The Clemson Tigers wrapped up a solid recruiting class today. Clemson’s class of 2012 will have twenty members, eight of whom have already enrolled. Head coach Dabo Swinney spoke about the incoming class today.

Dabo talks about the new class

Dabo Swinney Part 1

Swinney talks about two-sport athletes

Dabo Swinney Part 2

Swinney wraps up class, talks about Mike Bellamy

Dabo Swinney Part 3

Mike Farrell of Rivals.com reported Monday afternoon that according to a “good source,” DL DJ Reader of Greensboro, NC could end up choosing Maryland instead of Clemson. The Tigers have long been thought to be the leader for Reader who has said as much himself on the record. But Reader has not said much publicly since his official visit to Clemson two weekends ago, and his coach also has been unreachable. Reader also is a baseball prospect and wants to play both in college, and it is believed Clemson’s baseball program would be a stronger attraction than Maryland’s, though Reader did recent make the comment that he was impressed by what Maryland’s new coach is doing with the program. Reader is to make his announcement at noon on Wednesday.

According to a source familiar with the recruitment of DE JaMichael Winston of Mobile, AL, it appears as of Monday afternoon he will stick with his commitment to Arkansas and will sign with the Razorbacks at 11:30 Eastern Time Wednesday. Winston took official visits to Clemson and Michigan State the last two weekends, but the source said Winston has not given any indication of a change in his commitment.

LB Reggie Northrup of Jacksonville was Clemson’s lone official visitor over the weekend. Northrup has been a Miami commitment but is still considering four other schools. He plans to announce a final decision at 9:00 AM on Signing Day. Northrup has a final list of Clemson, Miami, Florida State, North Carolina and Arkansas. He took official visits to all five schools. Northrup had 196 tackles and 10 sacks last season.

Gaffney WR Quinshad Davis will not reveal his college decision until noon on Wednesday. The school will have a signing ceremony at that time for Davis and some of is teammates. Davis is choosing between Tennessee, North Carolina and Wake Forest.  He visited Tennessee over the weekend. “The visit went well,” Gaffney coach Dan Jones said. “He said he had a great time, enjoyed it. About what he’s said for all of the visits.” Jones talked to a Tennessee recruiter Monday, and the coach shared with him that the Tennessee staff felt the visit went well. Four other Indians are set to sign Wednesday…QB Joey Copeland with SC State, LB Savon Dukes with Lenior Rhyne, and DB Shaquille Byers and DL Edward Bigby with Presbyterian.

Moody to USC

USC landed commitment #25 for the 2012 class Monday morning when DB Chris Moody of McDonough, GA switched his pledge from Vanderbilt to the Gamecocks.

Moody had been a Vandy commitment for a week before making an official visit to USC over the weekend.  He notified recruiter Lorenzo Ward of his commitment by text message Monday morning.

Read more about Moody’s commitment to USC at PalmettoSports.com.

Clemson will have a bunch of junior prospects on campus Saturday and DB Brian Walker of Charlotte plans to be among them. The Tigers have not yet offered but recruiter Danny Pearman is showing serious interest. Walker was offered by former USC recruiter Jay Graham before he left for Tennessee but said he’s not heard from the Gamecocks since then. He also has offers from NC State, Auburn and Minnesota. Purdue and Tennessee also are showing interest. Walker visited NC State last Saturday and might go to Virginia and Tennessee for junior days. Recruiters from NC State and Duke have been by his school to check on him. Walker said he has a lot of interest in NC State but is going to take his time with his decision. He hopes to make one before his senior season. Last season Walker had 38 tackles with 3 interceptions and 12 passes broken up.

Clemson coach Dabo Swinney met Thursday with DL DJ Reader of Greensboro, NC. Reader, who has been favoring the Tigers, did not commit during the meeting and plans to take a few more days to think over his decision. He is down to the Tigers and Maryland. His coach has said he will announce his decision on National Signing Day at around noon at his school.

DB Chris Moody of McDonough, GA will take an official visit to USC this weekend his coach Thursday afternoon. “You never know but he got with coach Ward and he’s supposed to be coming,” Mike Rozier said. “He’s flying out of Atlanta around 3:00.” Moody committed to Vanderbilt last weekend while on an official visit and his coach says anything is possible this weekend when it comes to Moody perhaps switching to the Gamecocks. “I hate to say but there must be something there because he’s taking a visit,” Rozier said. Moody’s parents will not be joining him because they have a conflict this weekend. Moody played quarterback and safety in high school and the Gamecocks like him for the safety position. He will join committed DE Jhaustin Thomas of Decatur, GA in Columbia for official visits this weekend.

Clemson will get an official visit this weekend from Miami commitment LB Reggie Northrup of Jacksonville, FL according to Rivals.com. Northrup committed to Miami in late June. Some of his other offers at the time were USC, Georgia Tech, Auburn, Tennessee, West Virginia, Louisville and North Carolina. Last season Northrup had 196 tackles and 10 sacks. Clemson has about three spaces left in the 2012 class and has just one linebacker commitment thus far.

Junior DT Montravius Adams (6-3 285) of Vienna, GA has offers from Clemson, Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Auburn, Florida, Miami, Michigan State and Kentucky among others. He will visit Clemson this weekend for a junior day according to coach Jimmy Hughes. “He is really looking forward to going,” Hughes said. “It will be his third trip there.” Adams visited Clemson over the summer and took in the Florida State at Death Valley this past season. “They’re high on his list,” his coach added. Adams has garnered a lot of attention of late. “He is fully qualified and I think that has helped him get early offers,” coach Hughes said. “He is a humble kid from a good family. They work hard and he works hard.” Thursday saw Derek Dooley, Nick Saban and Gene Chizik stop by the school to talk with coach Hughes. He received Mark Richt, Al Golden and Will Muschamp last week. “Of course they can’t talk to juniors yet but the coaches are showing a lot interest in Montravius,” Hughes said. “I wouldn’t be surprised if Tennessee offers in the next couple of days.” Adams visited Auburn last Saturday and will visit Alabama February 18th, Florida on the 25th and Georgia March 3rd. He does not have any favorites. “We’ll start to narrow his list this spring,” said Hughes. “We’ll sit down with his parents and come up with a list of schools to focus on.”

Junior DE DeShawn Evans (6-5 210) of Goose Creek is hearing from Clemson, Alabama, Wake Forest, North Carolina, NC State, Virginia Tech and Nebraska among others but has not yet been offered. Evans named Clemson, Virginia Tech, Wake Forest and Alabama as his top four. “I want to study computer engineering and I know Clemson has a great program,” Evans said. Evans has not received an offer but said the Tigers are showing a lot of interest. “I went to the Clemson-Boston College game up there this year,” he said. “They have really nice facilities and I had a good time.” He also took in a USC game this year but is not drawing interest from the Gamecocks. Evans is planning several trips over the summer including a return visit to Clemson and will accompany coach Chuck Reedy to a junior day in Columbia. In his junior year he played linebacker and safety for his team totaling 82 tackles and seven sacks. “I’m a defensive end but they moved me to those positions to help the team this year,” Evans said. “As long as I’m playing, I will do whatever my team needs from me.” He did not name a favorite.

Shrine Bowl RB Virgil Smalls of Goose Creek has committed to SC State.  He had wanted to go to USC but was not going to qualify, so he looked at his JUCO options and SC State.  This season Smalls rushed for 1270 yards and 40 touchdowns. 

RB Ashton Heard of Abbeville has committed to North Greenville. 

One of the top prospects scheduled to be at Clemson Saturday for the Tigers’ junior day is DE Tyquan Lewis (6-4 220) of Tarboro, NC. According to his coach, Lewis has been offered by the Tigers, East Carolina, Virginia Tech, Duke and Wake Forest. USC is also showing interest. Last season he had 63 tackles and 12 sacks. “He plays the game the way it should be played,” coach Jeff Craddock said. “He plays so hard. He loves to play football and plays wide open on every play. He’s tough to trap due to his strength. He’s hard to run around because he’s so fast.” Lewis has had Clemson among his early favorites.

Junior DE Devin Washington (6-3 225) of Orlando has offers from Central Florida, Cincinnati and Florida International with interest from USC, Auburn, Florida, Miami, Georgia Tech, Utah and Syracuse among others. “I’m pretty much hearing from all of the SEC schools,” Washington said. He visited Auburn this past weekend and came away impressed. “It went great,” he said of his visit. “They have a nice program, a nice campus and a good school.” Washington is hopeful of a trip to Columbia in February. “They want me to come up on February 5th for their junior day,” he said. “I’m going to try and catch a flight up there. I think it’s going to work out.” He has no favorites but is interested in the Gamecocks. “They’re a real good school,” Washington said. “They produce good football players. I got to see them in the Capital One Bowl and they have a great defensive line.” Other visits he plans to take include Florida for a junior day on February 18th and UCF on March 24th. As a junior he had 55 tackles, 11 for loss, six-and-a-half sacks with a forced fumble.

Junior QB Cord Sandberg (6-2 205) of Bradenton, FL has offers from Clemson, Auburn, Central Florida, South Florida, Baylor, North Carolina, Vanderbilt, Texas Tech, West Virginia, Iowa State and Cincinnati. Clemson running back coach Tony Elliott was down to see Sandberg Monday. “He came by and talked to me a little and they’re showing a lot of interest,” Sandberg said. “I don’t have any favorites but Clemson is definitely a school I am very interested in.” With baseball occupying much of his time, Sandberg has not had an opportunity to take many trips. “I was at Miami for an ESPN photo-shoot and there was a junior day going on while we were there,” he said. “Other than that, I haven’t been anywhere. When I get a chance to take my official visits during my senior year, I would guess that Clemson and Auburn are likely destinations.” Other schools interesting the quarterback are North Carolina and Baylor. “Coach (Larry) Fedora came by last week and offered me,” Sandberg said. “They’re going to run the spread offense so I want to learn more about them. I also talked to Baylor’s coach and want to know more about them as well. I don’t have any favorites but there are five or six teams that really interest me.” Sandberg is also a baseball prospect who believes there is a small chance he could be drafted. “My coach has coached others that have been drafted,” he said. “He says a good senior season for me could mean I could get drafted with a little bit of money. It’s like a two percent chance but it is something I have to consider.” He went on to say he loves college football and looks forward to playing at the next level.

Junior QB Brayden Scott (6-2 195) of Talhequah, OK has offers from Clemson, Arkansas, Missouri, Alabama, Arizona, Arizona State, Purdue and Tulsa with interest coming from Florida State, Tennessee, Oklahoma and Oklahoma State among others. He is considering a trip to Clemson this spring saying, “I would love to…I might go to their spring game and check it out.” Scott would like some assurances before making a trip like that. “I would have to know that they are interested in me,” Scott said. “I don’t want to drive down there and get nothing out of it. It’s a long drive from Oklahoma.” He is familiar with Tigers offensive coordinator Chad Morris from his days at Tulsa. “I get mail from them a lot but I don’t think I’ve talked to a coach since the start of the football season,” he said. The schools showing the most interest in Scott are Tulsa, Purdue, Arkansas, Alabama, Oklahoma State and Tennessee. The Okie quarterback has upcoming visits to Florida State, Arkansas, Oklahoma State and Tulsa. “That’s all I know for now,” he added. He does not have any favorites.

Three rising junior prospects from Bamberg-Ehrhardt will attend Alabama’s junior day Saturday according to coach Kevin Crosby.  LB Kevin Crosby Jr., LB Marcus Moody and WR Aggadoria Bowers plan to be in Tuscaloosa.  They were invited by head coach Nick Saban and recruiter Chris Rumph.  Crosby, according to his coach and father, is very interested in the Crimson Tide.

According to his coach, North Carolina is now a factor with DE JaMichael Winston of Mobile, AL. Coach Kerry Stevenson said Winston will visit either North Carolina or Michigan State this weekend. Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney and Michigan State head coach Mark Dantonio are scheduled to visit with Winston today. Arkansas coach Bobby Petrino is expected in Wednesday. Winston has been committed to Arkansas but he visited Clemson last weekend.

OL Jonathan McLaughlin of Mauldin has committed to East Carolina. 

USC recruiter Shawn Elliott checked in on Spartanburg High junior LB Justin Bridges-Thompson last week according coach Freddie Brown. The Gamecocks have not offered but are interested as are Clemson, Alabama, Georgia, Miami, Oregon, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Florida, Mississippi State, Tennessee and Purdue. He has offers from Pittsburgh and Wake Forest at this point. Bridges-Thompson was scheduled to visit North Carolina and NC State last weekend. Brown said Oregon is one of the schools that likes Bridges-Thompson a lot. Bridges-Thompson had 155 tackles last season.

Junior OL Cameron Dillard (6-3 285) of Canton, MI has offers from Western Michigan, Central Michigan, Eastern Michigan, Buffalo and Bowling Green with interest from Clemson, Michigan State, West Virginia, Arkansas and Indiana among others. This weekend, he will travel to Clemson for a junior day. “Coach (Robbie) Caldwell has been wanting me to come visit so I’m going down with my parents Saturday,” Dillard said. Dillard’s father is from South Carolina and a 1994 graduate of The Citadel. “I’m from North Carolina and we moved to Michigan six years ago,” he said. “Distance is not a problem for me. My grandparents live in Greensboro and my parents can always come and visit me,” Dillard added. He has a lot of interest in the Tigers. “They have the three As I am looking for in a school,” he said. “Atmosphere, athletics and academics. I like coach Caldwell a lot. He is family-oriented and really funny. They’re a blue-collar team and I’m a blue-collar guy.” He will visit Michigan State on February 5th and West Virginia on the 11th. He will also take trips to Indiana and Purdue. Dillard does not have a favorite.

Junior DB Tre Bell (5-11 170) of Jersey City, NJ got an offer from USC January 18th, his first. “I was so happy to get my first offer from them,” Bell said. “They let me know they believe in me and think I can help their team.” Bell is receiving interest from West Virginia, Notre Dame, Wisconsin, Rutgers, Boston College and Connecticut. Though he does not have any favorites, he thinks highly of the Gamecocks. “I know they won their bowl game and finished with a very good record,” he said. “I watched them several times this year and they have a tenacious defense.” Bell will visit USC this spring. “I can’t wait to get down there and learn more about the program,” Bell added. He has plans to visit West Virginia February 11th. As a junior, Bell had 36 tackles, three interceptions, 10 pass deflections and two forced fumbles.

One of the top prospects scheduled to be at Clemson Saturday for the Tigers’ junior day is DE Tyquan Lewis (6-4 220) of Tarboro, NC. According to his coach, Lewis has been offered by the Tigers, East Carolina, Virginia Tech, Duke and Wake Forest. USC is also showing interest. Last season he had 63 tackles and 12 sacks. “He plays the game the way it should be played,” coach Jeff Craddock said. “He plays so hard. He loves to play football and plays wide open on every play. He’s tough to trap due to his strength. He’s hard to run around because he’s so fast.” Lewis has had Clemson among his early favorites.

Basketball News:

USC’s sour basketball season thus far has not turned off one of the Gamecocks’ targets for 2013. 6-4 Matt Howard of AC Flora has been to three Gamecock games this season, and he’s hanging in with Darrin Horn’s crowd. “It just gives me a sense I could come in and play early,” Howard said. He has offers from USC, Virginia Tech, Harvard, and VCU, Georgia Southern, Jacksonville, Richmond, UNC Wilmington, Holy Cross, Presbyterian and Tennessee State. Clemson is also showing interest. Brad Brownell and Horn have been at Howard’s games this season. “I like both of the in state schools but I’m interested in the schools that are interested in me.” He added that right now USC, Clemson and Harvard would be his favorites. Harvard has scouted him twice and he hears a lot from coach Tommy Amaker. Howard said he’d like to decide on his birthday of October 8th, but the decision could come earlier. This season he is averaging 20 points, 5 rebounds and 5 blocks per game.