The last available five-star prospect in the 2026 college football recruiting class is off the board. Interior offensive lineman Darius Gray announced Friday his commitment to South Carolina and, in turn, became the headliner of Shane Beamer’s 15-player haul. The Gamecocks’ class jumped three spots from No. 22 to No. 19 nationally with Gray’s addition.
Gray was the top uncommitted recruit entering the day, and with his pledge to South Carolina, each of the 121 highest-ranked prospects have now announced their landing spots for the 2026 season. The early signing period is still about four months away, though, which means that flips are inevitable — especially since these recruits have yet to play their high school senior seasons.
South Carolina now has a pair of blue-chip offensive line additions on the way. Four-star offensive tackle Zyon Guiles was previously the Gamecocks’ highest-rated pickup in the trenches.
Beamer has yet to build a recruiting class outside the national top 25 since his arrival for the 2021 season, and the Gray commitment gives him momentum in keeping that streak alive. Gray became the third five-star prospect to commit to Beamer, following eventual freshman standout Dylan Stewart in 2024 and uber-athletic receiver Nyck Harbor in 2023.
“You wouldn’t know if you didn’t pay attention to football, but he’s one of the coolest, most humble guys I’ve met in my life,” Gray said of Beamer to 247Sports’ Brian Dohn. “Just to have a head coach like that, to (fight) for his players no matter what the situation is, that means everything.”
Gray picked South Carolina over a top five that included Clemson, Tennessee, Ohio State and LSU. The Gamecocks notched a significant victory over those perennial playoff contenders with the…
Source link : https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/college-football-recruiting-south-carolina-lands-five-star-iol-darius-gray-the-top-available-2026-prospect/
Author : Carter Bahns
Publish date : 2025-08-22 23:52:00
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