COLUMBIA --
A group of 19 South Carolina Gamecocks huddled around each other, jostling for position.
All were from football hotbed Florida and all were boastful about their state's gridiron prowess.
A smaller group looked on from across the field, arms folded and wry smiles in place. Florida may be great, but these seven's slice of heaven can go up against anybody's.
"What we always say is they're spread out amongst the state," cornerback Marty Markett dismissed. "We're all in that same little area.
"We always say, 'Y'all want to learn to play football, come on up and learn how to play.'"
York County. Home of seven Gamecocks, and they're proud of it.
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York County has been an athletic powerhouse for years and with the surge of interest in football recruiting, the area has seen an upswing of activity. The highway from the northernmost spot of South Carolina to Columbia is clearly mapped.
USC has seven former area stars on the 2010 roster, and most are expected to make heavy impacts. Markett joined the team as a former York Comprehensive star who is from Rock Hill, just like his former York teammate and Rock Hill native, fifth-year senior Spencer Lanning.
Stephon Gilmore and DeVonte Holloman, each from South Pointe, are in their second years while Rock Hill High's Tori Gurley is in his third.
C.C. Whitlock, who was born in Rock Hill but made his name as a star at Chester, begins his third season. Fort Mill's Jared Shaw is re-starting his career.
It's quite a talented group, many of which bolstered York County's name last year due to a group effort in a win over archrival Clemson. With a couple of new players added to the chart and an eye on four could-be Gamecocks who are currently in Rock Hill, the current group wants to keep the success going.
The Veteran
Every group needs a leader, but Lanning doesn't classify himself as that. Although the oldest and the most experienced, Lanning says the leadership of the York County cabal is more of a combination.
"I'm not sure that there's a leader of the Rock Hill crowd," he mused, before listing the athletic qualities of each. "I think everybody respects each other for what they are."
The group is spread among the Gamecocks' team -- Lanning handles the punting and place-kicking duties, while Gurley is one of the team's wide receivers. The rest are competing for time as defensive backs.
He may not be as decorated as some of the others, but Lanning's role on the team is vital. He was the only player in the SEC to punt and place-kick in 2009 and enters his final year with the reputation as one of the hardest workers on the squad.
As the first of the current class to make it big at USC, Lanning serves as a special-teams linchpin and a success story. From a walk-on not recruited by his favorite school (Clemson), to redshirting, to sparse appearances, to starting at two positions, to kicking two field goals to help beat Clemson in 2009, Lanning is often caught shaking his head these days.
It all started in York County.
"York County, as far as football, you think about when I was there," he said. "Coach Steve Boyd, coach (Jimmy) Wallace, coach (Jim) Ringer, all these guys, they didn't know it, but they were breeding some of the Gamecocks' finest. Those guys that we had in York County are unbelievable."
The Star
Rock Hill High fans sigh at the memories. They knew of the kid coming up through Pee-Wee and GRA-Y. They knew he was zoned to be a Bearcat until South Pointe was created and the kid went there.
"I grew up looking up to Tori," Gilmore said. "I used to watch him at Rock Hill High when I was in middle school. I wanted to be just like him."
Gurley is a fine athlete, but Gilmore may be in a class by himself. The South Carolina Mr. Football prize and the breathless recruiting that followed him two years ago were clearly worth it. Gilmore ripped the go-ahead touchdown from an N.C. State receiver's hands in his first game, earned Freshman All-American honors as a cornerback and in his only chance at playing quarterback, turned momentum against Clemson.
