South Carolina picked up a major recruiting win on Saturday, landing a big-time commitment in the hours leading up to the annual spring game!

The player is Shamari Earls, a 4-star prospect and one of the top cornerbacks in the country out of Virginia. He landed on the Gamecocks after also considering Tennessee, Alabama and Georgia as a major SEC target.

The decision even delayed head coach Shane Beamer from getting out onto the field for Saturday’s spring game, but he admitted on social media he had “a good excuse” to be late.

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Earls is listed at 6-foot-2 and 180 pounds and already possesses elite size for the cornerback slot. The 247 Sports Composite rates Earls as the 15th CB in the country and the No. 4 overall player out of the state of Virginia.

Impact for South Carolina

Adding Earls gives the Gamecocks 5 hard commitments so far in the cycle, and Earls immediately becomes the highest-rated recruit in that group. He is the 118th overall player for the 2025 recruiting class, and Beamer’s group currently ranks 32nd nationally per the composite rankings.

There is still plenty of work for South Carolina to do over the summer, but landing Earls and keeping him away from the rest of the SEC is a big-time move for the Gamecocks.