Kentucky OL takes ‘very important’ visit to South Carolina, sets official visit

Louisville (Ky.) Male class of 2025 three-star IOL Isaac “Spike” Sowells, a priority South Carolina recruiting target, was back in Columbia this weekend, taking in the Gamecocks’ third practice of the spring.

“This visit was a very important one,” Sowells told GamecockCentral. “I got to sit down with Coach (Lonnie) Teasley, got to watch the guys practice and to just see how Coach Teasley practices in person. A big thing about me picking my school is I’ve got to see how I fit in with coach. So, the junior days and game days are all cool and all, but spring practice is how you really see how you fit in with a coach.”

Teasley, the Gamecocks’ second-year offensive line coach, checked all the boxes Sowells was looking for on the visit.

“Coach Teasley, he’s a great coach,” Sowells said. “If you do mess up, he’ll get after you, but he’ll make sure that you correct it and get it the way he needs it for the betterment of the team. All the coaches, they’re great coaches, real energetic guys. Coach (Shane) Beamer, he’s flying all around, being like a hype guy. I really enjoyed watching practice.”

The 6-foot-1.5, 290-pounder says the staff has also made sure to let him know how much they want him to end up in Columbia.

“Shoot, every time I come, they make sure to know that I’m a priority to them,” Sowells said. “I’m a top guy on their board, and they see me fit at South Carolina, and each time I come, they make sure to know that this is the place where they want me to be.”

Sowells, who recently named a Top 10 that included South Carolina, has started to take further steps to narrow his list.

He’s set official visits to South Carolina (May 31), Kentucky (June 7), N.C. State (June 14), and Miami (June 21). Louisville, Penn State, Vanderbilt, West Virginia, Indiana, and Virginia are the other six that were in the Top 10.

Sowells, who plans to make a decision in late July or August, has an idea of what he’s looking for in his future program.

“Connection with my O-line coach and my strength and conditioning coach — those are the two people who I’ll be with the most, so seeing how I fit in with those guys,” Sowells said. “The opportunity to play early, an open depth chart that allows me to work to get me to a certain spot soon. And then another big thing is fan engagement. Personally, I don’t want to play for a dead crowd, so it’s usually a winning team. So, it seems that packs the stands and has real encouraging fans.”

The three-star prospect says so far the Gamecocks have checked the boxes he’s looking for.

“I went to the Kentucky game,” Sowells said. “And, man, they packed it out. ‘Sandstorm’ is something special. Just seeing their encouragement from them. And then from Coach Teasley, shoot, he’s one of the better offensive line coaches in the nation. So, for him, always supporting me and really showing me that I’m a big priority to him is nice.”

Sowells is considered the No. 579 overall prospect and No. 42 IOL in his class, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average of the four major recruiting media sites.

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