Shane Beamer Camp Insider: Day 5
South Carolina football hosted Day 5 of the Shane Beamer Camp series Saturday afternoon as the Gamecocks hosted high school players from around the southeast for the workout.
GamecockCentral has a breakdown below.
— Let’s start right down the road in Football City, USA as Rock Hill (S.C.) Northwestern class of 2026 defender Tamarion Watkins was one of the more intriguing prospects on campus and hit I-77 N after the camp with an offer from the Gamecocks in tow.
The offer was Watkins’ first from a Power 4 school and second overall (Charlotte is the other) but certainly won’t be the last. Watkins lists himself as an “athlete” in his bio on Twitter/X and one of the questions entering the day was, what is he?
Watkins started the camp with Torrian Gray’s defensive back group, and spent the 1-on-1s matching up with slot receivers and tight ends in the box. But it was defensive coordinator/linebackers coach Clayton White and recruiting assistant Dru Lindler who spent a large portion of the afternoon trailing Watkins.
Watkins plays a hybrid safety role at Northwestern, at times playing safety, while at other times he’s in the box and other times he’s even rushing the passer. On the high school field, he’s certainly an alpha type who is the centerpiece for their defense and racked up 73 tackles, including 10.5 TFLs and 4 sacks as a sophomore to go along with 9 PBUs and an interception.
At camp, Watkins’ physicality was on full display as he bullied slot receivers at the line of scrimmage, keeping them from getting into their routes. At 6-foot-3.5, 200-pounds, Watkins’ size and speed combination will ultimately likely decide what position he ends up playing at the next level. I do not know what his current speed as he didn’t run during the early testing but I did see him walk off at one point with White who had a stopwatch in hand.
The Gamecocks offered right after camp ended and he’s excited to have the offer from what I’ve heard.
— It’s early, but there’s reason to believe South Carolina could be a factor with Fort Pierce (Fla.) Vero Beach class of 2026 four-star OL Micah Smith.
The 6-foot-5.5, 300-pounder took an unofficial visit to the school on Saturday and not only did the visit go very well but I’m told Smith has family from the state of South Carolina and some family that still lives in the Palmetto State.
This will likely be a big national-level recruiting battle but there’s reason to believe Carolina can stick around in this one.
— South Carolina running backs coach Marquel Blackwell had his eyes on Fayetteville (N.C.) Seventy-First RB Jayson Franklin, who recently landed an offer from Ole Miss.
Franklin is the type of bigger back that Blackwell seems to love as a 200-plus pounder who runs in the 4.5s. No offer yet but he’s one we’re keeping an eye on.
— While I didn’t see them myself, I was told that Irmo 2026 WR Donovan Murph and Ridge View 2026 WR Jordon Gidron were hanging around after camp. Gidron and his Ridge View team will camp at South Carolina on Monday.
— Yulee (Fla.) class of 2028 ATH TJ Williamson is a young, speedy prospect who left with an offer.
— Columbia (Md.) Mt. Zion Prep class of 2026 CB Amauri Polydor landed an offer from Torrian Gray.
— Hyattsville (Md.) Dematha Catholic class of 2026 three-star wide receiver Lavar Keys was on hand and threw down a sub 4.4 40-yard dash at a hair over 5-foot-9, 165 pounds.
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