It didn’t take long for the decommits to roll in once Will Muschamp was fired. Shane Beamer now holds 10 commitments after 6 players decommitted from the Gamecocks.

Of that group, 4 have committed to other schools. One, safety Bryce Steele out of Raleigh, N.C. (Millbrook), committed to Boston College on Dec. 1. He originally committed to the Gamecocks in April over North Carolina and Texas. However, the door is not completely closed on Steele. He shared some thoughts about the issue with Phil Kornblut of SportsTalk. Assistant Rod Wilson may be in the mix to remain on staff, and he has kept an open line of communication with Steele.

“He said that whenever he does meet with Coach Beamer, he’s going to bring my name up being that I was a former commit and that he’s still trying to bring this class back,” Steele said. “That’s all I know. As of right now, I’m still committed to Boston College, and I plan to stay committed. I sign in about a week or so.”

While Beamer said he’s staying with Oklahoma through the end of the regular season, the Sooners’ game against West Virginia was called off on Saturday, so that gave him more time to focus on this Early Signing Period.

For context, last year’s South Carolina class was No. 8 in the SEC, and No. 19 in the country, according to 247Sports. The 2019 class was also No. 8 in the SEC and No. 21 in the country.

Let’s take a closer look at the 2021 signing class:

By the numbers

  • SEC rank: 14
  • National rank: 93
  • 5-stars: 0
  • 4-stars: 0
  • 3-stars: 10

Top player: QB Colten Gauthier, 3-star

He’s a 6-foot-3, 205-pound pro-style quarterback who is at a high school in the Atlanta suburbs of Dacula (Hebron Christian). He holds at least 23 offers including the likes of Ole Miss, Arkansas, Kentucky, Missouri and Vanderbilt. He has already said he would stay with the Shane Beamer era. Gauthier was the No. 3 commit to this class in March, and he’s the No. 23 pro-style QB in this class. His dad tweeted a lot of his background at the end of his high school season. “He never missed a game or practice. Threw for nearly 7,000 yards, 63 TDS. Had over 25 FBS offers. Committed to play football at @GamecockFB. Will graduate high school early with a 3.8 and enroll in January.”

Class strength: Wide receiver

Numbers-wise, it’s wide receiver with 3 prospects in the fold, including a top 10 in-state player in O’Mega Blake out of Rock Hill (South Pointe). That’s the same high school as Gamecocks greats Stephon Gilmore and Jadeveon Clowney. Beamer needs to control the Rock Hill area again, something the program did under Steve Spurrier. Another receiver commit is also listed as a safety, Sam Reynolds out of Alabama. He’s rated higher than Derwin Burgess Jr. out of Georgia, who is 5-11, 177 pounds and holds 18 offers, including Tennessee, Kentucky and Florida State.

Class weakness: Overall depth

The Gamecocks’ 6th decommit was their highest-rated player, 4-star OLB Trenilyas Tatum, who flipped to Georgia Tech. They also lost players to Arkansas and Mississippi State. Because of the slew of players who left for the NFL Draft, the Gamecocks need to fill out this class from a numbers standpoint. Because of the free year of eligibility, other teams will strengthen their own depth with veteran players returning. Between opt-outs and senior departures, the Gamecocks need depth to establish a foundation and, more importantly, the chance for this new coaching staff to develop 3-stars into dependable SEC players.

Grading the QB class

While Gauthier is the No. 23-ranked pro-style quarterback in this class, he’s the No. 5 QB of that style among SEC schools. Among Gamecocks QB recruits, however, he is overshadowed by 2022 commit Gunner Stockton, a 5-star dual-threat QB, who committed to the Gamecocks over offers from Alabama, Florida and Georgia.

Overall, the QB situation largely depends on the direction of the offense, and whether Beamer keeps offensive coordinator Mike Bobo. Luke Doty, of course, came on at the end of the season to take over the starting job, but the wild card is Ryan Hilinski and his familiarity with the Bobo playbook. The Gamecocks have shown a propensity to play freshmen QBs in recent years, but Gauthier seems like a longer shot this time, both because of his 3-star rating and the experience of the other QBs on the roster.

Did they close the borders?

The Palmetto State has an interesting climate these days. Since Clemson has gone largely national with their recruiting, the Tigers hold only a single commitment in the top 20. The Gamecocks have 2 commitments from the players in the top 20. However, an eye-popping 11 programs have secured commitments from players in that group, including 2 each for North Carolina, Wake Forest and Virginia Tech.

Final thought

On the one hand, it’s interesting that the Gamecocks lost less than half of their commitments since the Muschamp firing, especially since the Beamer coaching staff is still an unknown. The class also covers 6 positions, and it appears that Beamer will go the typical 1st-year coach route with JUCO players. Not to mention, the graduate transfer strategy is also increasingly palatable. What Beamer needs is a solid pickup to use as a selling piece, which would help him develop some momentum entering the February signing period that would solidify the direction of the program.