Confirmed South Carolina football signees for Shane Beamer’s 2022 class
Wednesday marks the first day of college football’s early signing period. The period lasts through Friday. Shane Beamer and his coaching staff are putting the finishing touches on their second recruiting class.
New names and bios will be added today as they’re confirmed as being officially signed by the school. Star ratings below are according to 247Sports Composite, which factors in all networks’ rankings.
Jamaal Whyce, DL
Three stars | 6-foot-3, 270 pounds | Miami, Florida
Whyce committed to South Carolina in June over 11 other offers, including SEC schools Alabama, Florida, Kentucky and Ole Miss. As a senior at Florida Christian School, Whyce totaled five sacks and seven quarterback hurries in four games with stats available on MaxPreps. He finished his junior season with 39 tackles and six sacks.
Kylic Horton, WR
Three stars | 6-foot-3, 190 pounds | Summerton, South Carolina
Horton is the ninth-ranked prospect from South Carolina and played all over the field for Clarendon Hall High School’s eight-man football team just over an hour from Columbia. Horton has lined up at quarterback, receiver and defensive back for the Saints and received offers from four other schools, including Virginia Tech and Coastal Carolina.
Demetrius Watson, DL
Three stars | 6-foot-2.5, 285 pounds | North Charleston, South Carolina
In-state prospect Watson is the No. 21 player from South Carolina and falls within the top 150 defensive linemen in the class of 2022. He committed to the Gamecocks in November over five other schools, including Virginia Tech, Arizona State and Georgia Tech.
Keenan Nelson Jr., S
Four stars | 6-foot-1, 200 pounds | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Nelson is the Gamecocks’ highest-rated commit in the 2022 class. The four-star safety will play in the 2022 All-American Bowl and is the No. 7 prospect out of Pennsylvania. He chose the Gamecocks over 20 other offers, including Penn State, where he took an official visit in June.
D’Andre Martin, DL
Three stars | 6-foot-3.5, 293 pounds | Durham, North Carolina
Martin, a North Carolina native who played high school football in Virginia at Life Christian Academy, had been committed to Virginia Tech from August 1 to Dec. 5. He flipped his commitment on Dec. 7 during the week before the early signing period. He’s the 32nd-ranked prospect out of North Carolina and a key pickup for the Gamecocks’ defensive line, which will lose Kingsley “JJ” Enagbare to the NFL Draft — and could lose Jordan Strachan or Zacch Pickens if they opt to turn pro.
Zavier Short, ATH
Three stars | 6-foot-2, 208 pounds | Chapin, South Carolina
A Columbia-area prospect from nearby Chapin High School, Short flipped his longtime commitment from Appalachian State to the Gamecocks. Short, who told The State that South Carolina is “his dream school,” is the 16th-rated player from the state and Chapin’s all-time leading receiver, with 217 catches for 3,391 yards.
Anthony Rose, S
Three stars | 6-foot-3, 180 pounds | Miami, Florida
Rose committed to South Carolina on two separate occasions. He first committed in February over runners-up Penn State and Arizona, decommitted from the Gamecocks in May, and recommitted in June after an official visit to Columbia. Rose is the 32nd-ranked safety in the class of 2022 and the No. 51 prospect out of Florida.
Emory Floyd, S
Three stars | 6-foot-0.5, 165 pounds | Powder Springs, Georgia
Floyd committed to South Carolina in June over offers from 21 schools, including Auburn, where he had been predicted to go by the 247Sports Crystal Ball until the summer. He totaled 24 tackles and four interceptions through nine games as a senior at Atlanta-area Hillgrove High School and also returned kicks for the Hawks this season, according to MaxPreps.
Landon Samson, WR
Three stars | 6-foot-1, 180 pounds | Southlake, Texas
South Carolina won a close battle with Nebraska for Samson, as the 247Sports Crystal Ball projected Samson would pick the Cornhuskers in May. He committed to Justin Stepp in June and helped Southlake Carroll High School to a 14-0 record as a senior. The Dragons will compete in the Texas 6A State Championship on Saturday. Through the first nine games of his senior season, Samson totaled 45 catches for 755 yards and 13 touchdowns, according to MaxPreps. He hauled in 75 receptions for 1,293 yards and 15 touchdowns as a junior.
Nick Emmanwori, ATH
Three stars | 6-foot-3, 208 pounds | Columbia, South Carolina
A Columbia-area product out of nearby Irmo High School, Emmanwori is the seventh-ranked prospect in the state of South Carolina and played primarily safety for the Yellow Jackets. Irmo coach Aaron Brand told The State in October that Emmanwori has the potential to play linebacker for the Gamecocks if he adds weight to his frame, as he played a hybrid linebacker position in his senior year of high school.
Ryan Brubaker, OT
Three stars | 6-foot-6, 280 pounds | Denver, Pennsylvania
Brubaker, the No. 15 prospect out of Pennsylvania, took visits to four other schools over the summer before committing to South Carolina in June. He picked the Gamecocks over competing offers from Penn State, Stanford, Tennessee and Vanderbilt, among 20 other schools.
Bryan Thomas Jr., Edge
Three stars | 6-foot-2.5, 225 pounds | Winter Garden, Florida
A top-50 Edge prospect in the class of 2022, Thomas committed to the Gamecocks in September over 12 other offers, including N.C. State, Virginia Tech and Pittsburgh. He’s the son of former first-round NFL Draft pick Bryan Thomas, who played outside linebacker for the New York Jets from 2002-12 after playing college football for UAB.
Donovan Westmoreland, LB
Three stars | 6-foot-1, 210 pounds | Griffin, Georgia
A top-50 linebacker in the class of 2022, Westmoreland flipped his commitment from Georgia to South Carolina in May. He recorded 175 tackles in three seasons playing varsity football at Griffin High School, along with 19 sacks for a loss of 135 yards, according to MaxPreps.
Stone Blanton, LB
Four stars | 6-foot-2, 220 pounds | Madison, Mississippi
A top-10 player from the state of Mississippi, Blanton committed to South Carolina on Monday over offers from 20 other schools, including Mississippi State and Texas A&M. Through 11 games as a senior at Madison-Ridgeland Academy, Blanton totaled 106 tackles, including 22.0 for loss, according to MaxPreps. He also plays baseball and planned to play in the outfield at Mississippi State before flipping his commitment to the Gamecocks.
Peyton Williams, S
Three stars | 6-foot-1, 180 pounds | Rockwall, Texas
Williams is a top 100 prospect out of Texas and the No. 44 safety in the class of 2022. Through eight games of his senior season at Rockwall-Heath High School, Williams came down with 67 tackles, including 4.0 for loss, 10 pass break-ups and an interception, according to MaxPreps.
Felix Hixon, DL
Three stars | 6-foot-3, 285 pounds | Jackson, Georgia
Hixon committed to the Gamecocks in July over 23 other offers, including Georgia Tech, Illinois, Virginia and Wisconsin, where he took visits over the summer. He’s the No. 83 defensive lineman in the class of 2022 and No. 56 prospect out of Georgia.
Grayson Mains, OT
Three stars | 6-foot-5, 265 pounds | Suwanee, Georgia
The 71st-ranked prospect from Georgia and No. 60 tackle in the class of 2022, Mains has been committed to South Carolina since April. He received 15 offers from other schools, including Mississippi State and Tennessee.
Kajuan Banks, S
Three stars | 5-foot-10, 170 pounds | Tallahassee, Florida
Banks is a three-sport athlete (football, track and basketball) who helped Amos P. Godby High School make it to the Florida 5A state playoffs in 2020. He committed to South Carolina back in May over competing offers from 24 other schools, including SEC foes Kentucky, Ole Miss and Tennessee.
Cason Henry, OT
Three stars | 6-foot-6, 290 pounds | Marietta, Georgia
Henry is a top 100 prospect out of Georgia and the No. 88 offensive tackle in the class of 2022. He committed to South Carolina in June over 19 other schools. Walton, Henry’s high school team, made it to the Georgia 7A final four his senior season before falling to Milton.
Braden Davis, QB
Four stars | 6-foot-5, 195 pounds | Middletown, Delaware
Davis is the third-highest rated South Carolina signee under Beamer, choosing the Gamecocks over 23 offers from Power 5 schools when he first committed in June. He threw the game-winning touchdown for Middletown High School’s Delaware Class 3A championship win as a senior, passing for 2,170 yards in his final season. The four-star quarterback was named Gatorade Player of the Year in Delaware and will play in the Under Armour All-American game in Orlando on Jan. 2.
Spencer Rattler, QB
Five stars | 6-foot-1, 200 pounds | Phoenix, Ariz.
Transfer portal addition from University of Oklahoma was confirmed as a signee Tuesday evening. ... As a redshirt sophomore at Oklahoma, he was among the preseason favorites for the Heisman Trophy after a freshman season in which he completed 214 of 317 passes for 3,031 yards, 28 touchdowns and seven interceptions. ... Rattler has a connection with South Carolina coach Shane Beamer, who was an assistant at Oklahoma before becoming Gamecocks new coach.
Austin Stogner, TE
Four stars | 6-foot-6, 251 pounds | Plano, Texas
Transfer portal addition from University of Oklahoma was confirmed as a signee Tuesday evening. ... Stogner arrived at OU as the No. 3 tight end in the class of 2019, according to the 247Sports Composite. He played for two seasons under Beamer there. ... Second team All-Big 12 selection by The Associated Press in 2020 after he recorded 26 catches for 422 yards and three touchdowns in just eight games. ... He recorded 14 receptions for 166 yards and three scores in Lincoln Riley’s final season at Oklahoma.
This story was originally published December 15, 2021 at 7:18 AM with the headline "Confirmed South Carolina football signees for Shane Beamer’s 2022 class."
