South Carolina reportedly lands commitment from edge rusher out of Florida

South Carolina has landed a solid defensive addition to its 2022 recruiting class.

According to Hale McGranahan of 247Sports.com, the Gamecocks have received a commitment from 3-star recruit Bryan Thomas Jr., who is the No. 49 edge rusher in the country per the 247Sports Composite rankings. Thomas currently attends Foundation Academy in Winter Garden, Fla.

While Thomas hasn’t officially announced his commitment, South Carolina head coach Shane Beamer gave his typical indication that the program had landed a recruit on Twitter on Thursday evening:

#WelcomeHome ? pic.twitter.com/WB4w7Xtpg7

— Shane Beamer (@CoachSBeamer) September 9, 2021

McGranahan reported that Thomas chose South Carolina over several other finalists — including West Virginia — after his official visit with the Gamecocks, which Thomas tweeted about earlier this week:

Thank you for having me for an official visit, I had an amazing time with the coaches and staff!!#spursup??? @CoachMPeterson @CoachSBeamer @togray14 @GamecockFB pic.twitter.com/eavKNi95rW

— BryBry Thomas Jr (@fbthomas5) September 8, 2021

Thomas became the 17th member of South Carolina’s 2022 recruiting class. However, he’s the first edge rusher to commit to the Gamecocks, so he addressed a need that they had in this cycle.

Here are some of Thomas’ highlights from his 2020 junior season that were uploaded on Hudl:

Jake Rill

Jake Rill contributes to news coverage for Saturday Down South. He has covered the SEC since 2016.