Gamecocks building bond with another up-and-coming Rock Hill-area recruit
Rock Hill is the city that keeps on giving to the South Carolina football program.
No school has garnered more prospects from that talent-rich city than USC. The Gamecocks already have one 2026 commitment from Rock Hill in South Pointe offensive lineman Anthony Baxter. They are also heavily in the mix with his teammate J’Zavien Currence, a safety.
A third USC target in the town is 2026 safety Tamarion Watkins (6-4 201) from Northwestern High. By the way, he said he’s not related to former Gamecocks star safety Tony Watkins, also a Rock Hill native.
The Gamecocks offered Tamarion Watkins after seeing him in camp. Secondary coach Torrian Gray caught up with him after the event and delivered the big news.
“It caught me completely off guard,” Watkins said. “I was just down there thinking it was going to be a regular day of camp. I was going to go back and work on the things that I messed up on while I was there. I ended up coming home with an offer. It all just felt kind of surreal to me and it let me know I can be more than I thought I was before.”
Watkins said Gray explained to him what he saw in him that led to the offer.
“First thing was the size. He loved my size,” Watkins said. “My film, how I’m able to move around and do a lot of different things. Just how versatile I can be for a defense.”
Last season Watkins totaled 73 tackles with 10.5 tackles for loss, four sacks, nine pass break-ups and one interception.
Watkins followed up his camp performance in June by returning to USC for their late July recruiting event. He will be back in Columbia this Saturday for the season-opening game with Old Dominion. The relationship with the Gamecocks is growing.
“I love all the coaches there,” he said. “They always bring high energy and positivity. They check up on me every now and then on a consistent basis.”
Watkins also has offers from Wake Forest and Charlotte, and he is getting interest from other programs. He plans to visit N.C. State on Thursday night for their opener. He is headed to North Carolina a week from Saturday. He is also going to take in games at Georgia and Florida State.
Watkins obviously has a good feeling for USC right now, but he’s not ready to name any favorites and has no plans for a quick decision. He also camped at Clemson this summer but hasn’t had much contact from the Tigers. He also made a camp stop at Florida State.
“I think for right now I’ll keep it open for sure,” Watkins said. “Not really sure on when I’ll make my decision, but it won’t be any time soon.”
This story was originally published August 27, 2024 at 9:11 AM with the headline "Gamecocks building bond with another up-and-coming Rock Hill-area recruit."