Deja Vu for Brandon Golson and USC

According to Phil Kornblut of the South Carolina Radio News Network, Georgia Military College Linebacker Brandon Golson (6'2", 230 pounds) has pledged to USC once, twice now three times and hopefully for Golson's sake the third time is the charm for the former Calhoun County star. Golson originally committed to South Carolina back in 2010 but USC's Admissions Office denied Golson admittance into Carolina so the former Calhoun County High School football star decided to go to Fork Union Prep School in Virginia. He then committed to Carolina in January 2011 but was denied admission a second time. Golson then attended Louisville University where he briefly started classes until it was determined he was a non-qualifier at the Big East institution which forced Golson to leave Louisville. Golson's path led him to Milledgeville, GA in 2012, and he enrolled at Georgia Military College where last season Golson compiled 24 tackles and five sacks. Brandon Golson becomes the 15th verbal commitment for the 2013 USC football recruiting class and the 12th member on the defensive side of the football. He is the third linebacker prospect to commit to the Gamecocks and the second linebacker prospect to verbal to South Carolina in less than a week (Virginia LB Matt Rolin committed last Friday). Golson is a three-star prospect per 247sports and was recruited to USC by Gamecocks Special Teams Coach Joe Robinson. Golson is projected to be a December graduate at GMC which would allow him to enroll at USC in January 2013. Golson will have two years to play three at South Carolina. Go Gamecocks!

Gamecocks Land Peach State Defensive Back

According to Phil Kornblut of the South Carolina Radio News Network defensive back Ali Gorves committed to South Carolina coaches late Tuesday night. The Stone Mountain, GA native committed to USC over offers from Kentucky, Vanderbilt, Ole Miss, Missouri, Pitt, Florida, Illinois, Syracuse, UConn, Ohio and Wake Forest. Groves is 5'11 and 177 pounds and projects to play either Cornerback or Safety for the Gamecocks. The Peach state product is a three-star prospect according to 247sports and was recruited to USC by South Carolina Defensive Coordinator Lorenzo Ward. Ward & South Carolina have now developed a "pipeline" into Stephenson High School down in Stone Mountain, GA. In the last three recruiting cycles Carolina has landed five commitments from this power house football program outside of Atlanta: DB Kadetrix Marcus (2011), RB Mike Davis (2012-Enrolled), DB Kyle Fleetwood (2012-Enrolled), DT Carlos Hood (2012-headed to Fork Union Prep in Virginia) and DB Ali Groves (2013-verbal commitment). Groves is the 14th verbal commitment in USC's 2013 football recruiting class. He is the 11th defensive prospect for the Gamecocks. Also according to Kornblut, USC might be nearing its 15th verbal commitment if Georgia Military College LB Brandon Golson casts his lot with USC following a scheduled visit to Columbia on Wednesday. Golson is a Calhoun County native and actually committed to South Carolina back in 2010. USC's Admissions Office denied Golson's acceptance two years ago and so for the past two years the former Calhoun County High School star has attempted to improve his grades at the Georgia Military College. Golson is a four-star prospect according to 247sports and is being recruited to USC by Special Teams Coach Joe Robinson. Go Gamecocks!

Rivalries Rekindled in Columbia Regional

The University of South Carolina will host its third straight NCAA College Baseball Regional this coming Friday with two very familiar opponents joining the Gamecocks in the Capital City. The number two seed in the Columbia Regional will be Clemson University and the Tigers will square off against the number three seed Coastal Carolina University Chanticleers. The fourth team to round out the Columbia Regional will be the Manhattan Jaspers. The Gamecocks are the number eight national seed in the 64-team field announced on ESPNU tearlier this afternoon. The Gamecocks have now earned back-to-back national seeds and it's the sixth time under Head Baseball Coach Ray Tanner that USC has been named a top eight national seed (Carolina has only lost once as a Super regional host back in 2000 versus Louisiana-Lafayette). If the Gamecocks win their regional South Carolina would play the winner of the Charlottesville, VA Regional comprised of UVA (#1 seed), Oklahoma (#2 seed), Appalachain State (#3 seed) and Army (#4 seed). A tidbit regarding the Charlottesville Regional, back in the 2010 Charlottesville Regional Oklahoma swept UVA and subsequently went on to face USC twice in Omaha defeating Carolina in the first game and then coming within one strike on JBJ of eliminating the Gamecocks from the 2010 NCAA College World Series. But we all know Jackie Bradley Jr. came up with a clutch two-out hit versus Oklahoma which propelled South Carolina to its first ever National Championship. The Columbia Regional gets started on Friday June 1st, with Clemson battling Coastal Carolina at Noon followed at four o'clock by South Carolina versus Manhattan. All of the Columbia Regional will be televised on ESPNU. Go Gamecocks! Here is the Columbia Regional schedule: DATES/TIMES/FORMAT Friday, June 1 Game 1 - No. 2 Clemson vs. No. 3 Coastal Carolina – Noon p.m. (ESPNU/ESPN3) Game 2 - No. 1 South Carolina vs. No. 4 Manhattan – 4 p.m. (ESPNU/ESPN3) Saturday, June 2 Game 3 - Loser of Game 1 vs. Loser of Game 2 – Noon p.m. (ESPNU/ESPN3) Game 4 - Winner of Game 1 vs. Winner of Game 2 – 4 p.m. (ESPNU/ESPN3) Sunday, June 3 Game 5 - Winner of Game 3 vs. Loser of Game 4 – Noon p.m. (ESPNU/ESPN3) Game 6 - Winner of Game 5 vs. Winner of Game 4 – 4 p.m. (ESPNU/ESPN3) Monday, June 4 Game 7 - If Necessary - 7 p.m. (ESPNU/ESPN3)

USC Football Legacy Commits To Gamecocks

According to AM-560 WVOC in Columbia,SC, highly recruited linebacker Matt Rolin has committed to the University of South Carolina while on an unofficial visit to USC. The Ashburn, Virginia native was scheduled to be in the Palmetto State this weekend to visit family during the Memorial Day holiday. Rolin is a USC legacy as his grandfather played for South Carolina and the rising senior linebacker has family that live very near USC's campus. Rolin is a four-star recruit per 247sports and the highest rated gridiron recruit in the 2013 Gamecocks football recruiting class. USC Run Game Coordinator/Offensive Line Coach Shawn Elliott was Rolin's lead recruiter for the Gamecocks. Rolin becomes the 13th verbal commitment for South Carolina and the 10th defensive commitment for the Gamecocks in this class. The "Old Dominion" native chose the Gamecocks over 30-plus offers from schools like Virginia Tech, FSU, Florida, Georgia, Michigan, Michigan State, Ohio State, Tennessee, Virginia and Clemson to name a few. Rolin's older brother plays at Virginia Tech and while the Hokies were a big factor for the younger sibling, USC was always in the driver's seat for Rolin's services according to sources. Go Gamecocks!

Gamecocks Pick up Third Football Commitment

The Gamecocks pulled off the football recruiting "trifecta" this afternoon gaining their third football commitment for the 2013 class. North Carolina athlete Pharoh Cooper of Havelock, NC becomes verbal commitment number 12 for USC. Cooper hails from the same high school in the Tarheel state as current redshift sophomore Offensive lineman Corey Robinson. Brad Lawing is the recruiter of record for Cooper. The Gamecocks plan to play Cooper in the Secondary as a defensive back. Cooper is a three-star prospect per 247sports and also had offers from N.C. State and East Carolina. Earlier in the day the Gamecocks received verbal pledges from DE/OLB David Johnson of Lithonia, GA a three-star prospect and DE/OLB Devin Washington of Orlando, FL a four-star prospect. Go Gamecocks!