Recruiting: Clemson, USC targets set to announce soon (2024)

Clemson and South Carolina have a pair of recruiting targets set to announce in the coming days.

Clemson target wide receiver Samari Reed (6-2, 190) of Coconut, Fla., has set July 3 for his commitment announcement. He has Clemson, Kentucky, West Virginia, Penn State and Mississippi as his top schools.

Reed made his official visit to Clemson the first weekend of the month. He also visited Clemson, as well as his other finalists, earlier in the year.

Last season, Reed had 56 catches for 1,311 yards and 15 touchdowns.

The next South Carolina target to come off the board will be safety Jaydon Blair of Winston-Salem, N.C. He is set to announce at 3 p.m. July 5 from a list made up of USC, Michigan, Virginia Tech, Florida State, Notre Dame, Penn State and Louisville.

Meanwhile, USC target defensive tackle Bryce Jenkins (6-5, 326) of Washington has set July 6 for his commitment announcement. He also has Tennessee, Maryland and Rutgers on his short list.

Jenkins, who made official visits to all four of his finalists, is a former teammate of Gameco*cks freshman defensive end Dylan Stewart. They played at Friendship Collegiate Academy in D.C. The founder of that program, Aazaar Abdul Rahim, is now an assistant at Maryland.

A pair of Clemson targets announced for other schools on July 1.

The Tigers had been looking at Cortez Mills, a four-star receiver who wound up committing to Oklahoma. And Clemson was also looking at offensive lineman Hardy Watts, who committed to Wisconsin.

South Carolina, which recently landed commitments from 2025 quarterback Cutter Woods, flipping him from Wake Forest, and linebacker Taeshawn Alston, missed out on some targets as well.

The Gameco*cks missed on their top running back prospect for the 2025 class when Jeffrey Overton Jr. of Woodbridge, Va., announced for Virginia Tech. The Gameco*cks do not yet have a running back commitment for their 2025 class but have an offer out to Jayden Jackson (5-11, 215) of Franklin, Texas. Jackson, who made an unofficial visit on June 14, has rushed for 4,500 yards and 65 touchdowns over the last two seasons.

Several other running backs offered by South Carolina this year are off the board. Bo Jackson and Isaiah West committed to Ohio State, Daune Morris to Southern Cal, Jamarion Morrow to Missouri, Jamarion Parker to Nebraska and Zymear Smith to Alabama.

USC target defensive tackle Eric Thomas (6-3, 305) of Lehigh Acres, Fla., committed to Syracuse.

Tigers offer 2026 QB, WR

2026 QB Tait Reynolds (6-4, 195) of Queen Creek, Ariz., who decommitted from Arizona State baseball last weekend, has 19 offers now including Clemson, Arizona, Baylor, Iowa State, Miami, Minnesota, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Oregon, Tennessee and Wisconsin among others. Reynolds worked out for Clemson offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Garrett Riley at Dabo Swinney’s high school camp and earned an offer shortly after his departure.

Last season, Reynolds passed for 1,808 yards with 11 touchdowns and 11 interceptions while completing 54 percent of his attempts. He also rushed for 631 yards and 17 touchdowns.

Clemson also offered 2026 WR Connor Salmin (6-1, 185) of Purcellville, Va. Salmin is one of the fastest prospects in Virginia as a state track champion and a 10.4 time in the 100 meters. Last season, he caught 53 passes for 16 touchdowns and averaged over 20 yards per catch. His offers also include Virginia, Virginia Tech, Arkansas, Ohio State, Texas A&M, Florida State, LSU, Notre Dame, Tennessee, Penn State and North Carolina.