South Carolina Flips Troy DE Commit Griffin Gentry
Written by Ryan Wright
Twitter: @HogManInLA
The interim South Carolina coaching staff has not slowed down in their attempt to keep pulling players to Columbia despite the pending unknown of a coaching change coming at the end of the 2015 college football season landing Birmingham, Alabama, standout defensive end Griffin Gentry.
Homewood High School finished their regular season 8-2 and are in the midst of preparing for Lee High School (Huntsville) in the opening round of the playoffs. One of the key contributors to the Patriots outstanding season has been Gentry. Gentry, listed at 6’2”, 255 pounds, is second on the team with 78 tackles but has racked up an incredible 26 tackles for a loss. Griffin’s tackles for a loss is a team-high as well as his six sacks and five quarterback hurries. Griffin also has a pass deflection, a forced fumble, a fumble recovery, and a blocked field goal on his stat line.
On July 24, Griffin committed to the Troy Trojans but decommitted on Wednesday, the same day he verbally committed to the Gamecocks. USC landed Griffin over other offers from Appalachian State, South Alabama, Middle Tennessee State, and Louisiana-Lafayette.
South Carolina now has 16 verbal commitments to their 2016 recruiting class having landed Griffin and fellow Alabama native, defensive tackle, Darius Whitefield since the resignation of former head coach Steve Spurrier.
2016 South Carolina Gamecocks Verbal Commitment List
FS Jaqui “JJ” Givens, 6’1”, 165 lbs, Atlee HS, Mechanicsville, VA
CB Tre Jackson, 5’10”, 178 lbs, Univ. Lab HS, Baton Rouge, LA
DE Griffin Gentry, 6’2”, 255 lbs, Homewood HS, Birmingham, AL
DE Jordan Smith, 6’5”, 225 lbs, Lithonia HS, Lithonia, GA
DE Cecil Stallings, 6’4”, 250 lbs, Tucker HS, Atlanta, GA
DE Darius Whitfield, 6’3”, 265 lbs, St. Paul’s Episcopal, Mobile, AL
LB Jacorey Morris, 6’3”, 220 lbs, Clarke County HS, Grove Hill, AL
OT Akeem Cooperwood, 6’7”, 325 lbs, Georgia Military College, Milledgeville, GA
OT Peter Leota, 6’5” 300 lbs, Asheville HS, Asheville, NC
OG Lloyd Cushenberry, 6’4”, 310 lbs, Dutchtown HS, Geismar, LA
OG Will Putnam, 6’5”, 270 lbs, Hickory Ridge HS, Harrisburg, NC
RB C.J. Freeeman, 5’11”, 195 lbs, Northern Guilford HS, Greensboro, NC
QB Brandon McIlwain, 6’0”, 188 lbs, Council Rock North, Newtown, PA
WR Bryan Edwards, 6’3”, 205 lbs, Conway HS, Conway, SC
WR Kelvin Harmon, 6’3”, 190 lbs, Palmyra HS, Palmyra, NJ
WR/CB Chris Smith, 5’10”, 170 lbs, South Pointe HS, Rock Hill, SC
Photo credit: al.com; No. 50 Griffin Gentry celebrates a play with teammate Kamren Amerson.