For the second straight year, South Carolina is reaching into Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. for immediate help in a depleted secondary.

Three-star defensive back Damon Arnette, a former prep teammate of current Gamecocks cornerback Al Harris Jr., provides Lorenzo Ward’s defense with length on the outside at 6-foot-2 and nearly 200 pounds with excellent coverage and ball skills.

St. Thomas Aquinas has produced numerous premiere FBS prospects over the last few seasons including Ohio State All-American defensive end Joey Bosa (2013) and Florida State standout receiver Rashad Greene (2011).

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Arnette committed in July over offers from several Power 5 programs including Ohio State and Louisville. He’s the only true corner in this year’s class for the Gamecocks after four-star Mark Fields decommitted last month.

“They feel I can play my freshman year and be effective on the boundary,” Arnette told 247Sports in October. “That’s the number one thing I’m looking for, early playing time.”

At 6-foot-2 nearly 200 pounds, Arnette will be one of the taller potential playmakers at the back end for the Gamecocks.

“He can cover the flats, he’s long, he can knock down slants, he can cover the back out of the backfield if he has to, and we can blitz him if we had to,” Arnette’s high school coach Rocco Casullo said in an interview with GoGamecocks.com. “You see a lot of teams go to that hybrid guy, and I think he’s really done well with that.”