Sometimes when a touted recruit arrives on campus, they show up with a sense of entitlement.

The good news for Gamecock fans is that hasn’t been the case for five-star freshman Jordan Burch.

South Carolina won a heated recruiting battle for the elite defender from Hammond High School in Columbia and thus far during his first camp as a Gamecock, the young defender has impressed assistant coach Mike Peterson.

During a recent interview, Peterson was asked about his early impressions of Burch.

“I know one thing, when he hops off the bus, he’s going to be a pretty, pretty ballplayer,” Peterson noted of the freshman defender. “He looks good. He has it all. He’s fast, he’s strong.”

While looking the part and having the necessary tools to excel on the field are important, attitude can be just as important for a player that may have some growing to do when it comes to being ready to contribute to an SEC defense.

Not only has that not been an issue with Burch, Peterson claims the freshman has impressed with his ability to respond to a challenge.

“The thing I probably like the most about him is he’s really coachable. I can get on him,” the Gamecock assistant added when discussing Burch. “A lot of times, those highly recruited guys they come in and haven’t been coached in high school or the coach hadn’t really got on him. I’m able to get on him just like I can get on the rest of the guys and he accepts it.

“He excels when I get on him a little more. I’m thrilled about him he’s out there running around, my job right now is to shorten the learning curve for him and get him ready to play on Saturday.”

That’s exactly what South Carolina fans want to hear as they hope to see Burch on the field early and living up to the massive hype that comes from his recruitment.

Photo credit: South Carolina Athletics