What South Carolina’s newest football commitment will bring to the Gamecocks
South Carolina is back on the board with a Class of 2022 commitment. The Gamecocks’ initial commitment for the class, quarterback Gunner Stockton, broke his commitment to the Gamecocks in January — then made a pledge to Georgia
On Tuesday, Shane Beamer and his defensive coaching staff restarted the process of stocking the 2022 class with a commitment from highly regarded safety Anthony Rose (6-4, 180) of Hallandale, Florida. Rose announced for the Gamecocks over Penn State and Arizona. He also held offers from Texas A&M, Kansas, LSU, Maryland, Mississippi State, Pitt, Syracuse, Tennessee, Arizona State and Michigan.
“He’s a playmaker,” said Hallandale head coach Herman Lovett. “He’s a kid that‘s always around the ball. When you need a play, his teammates look for him to make it because they know he’s going to make it or he’s going to go all out trying to make it. He’s a versatile guy. You can put him out on the island one on one. You can move this guy around. He’s a kid every coach wishes they had on their team. He has a knack for the ball. He has a special talent, and that talent is getting everybody around him better.”
Junior Rosegreen, a former standout safety at Auburn, is the defensive coordinator and secondary coach for Hallandale. He says the Gamecocks are getting a ready-made star in Rose.
“We’ve got the best secondary in the nation,” Rosegreen said. “Big, long, fast, physical. We’re going to knock you out. Anthony is a low 4.4 guy. He’s very explosive. He’s got instincts you can’t teach. When the ball is in the air, he’s a ball hog. I call him ‘sniper.’ Every time he’s got a beam on that ball or a player, he’s going to knock you out or get the ball. His radar system is amazing.”
Gamecock secondary coach Torrian Gray has strong connections in South Florida having come to USC from the Florida Gators. He was a major part of the recruiting effort by the Gamecocks. And Rosegreen said defensive coordinator Clayton White also played a vital role.
“Clayton White, I’ve known him for a long time,” Rosegreen said. “I’ve known him since he was at North Carolina State when he was coaching the safeties. At the end of the day, it’s all about putting people in position to do something great. And by them putting that coaching staff in that position, I think South Carolina is going to turn some heads. That’s a place, if you get it rocking, it’s over with.”
Lovett agrees with Rosegreen in his early assessment of the new Gamecock staff.
“The come in and they are hungry,” Lovett said. “They want to make things great again. They want to be in a position to say they are the ones that brought South Carolina back, and they are the ones who are actually going to get the best talent. And I tell coaches, if you want to make your program great, you’ve got to come down to South Florida. And they pride themselves on trying to come down here and getting the best talent that’s around here, and you’ve got to take your hat off to guys like that.”
Lovett added that teams that get the best players out of South Florida are getting a special package.
“My guys in South Florida are hungry,” he said. “They want to just be able to put themselves and their families in position in the future to change their environment. Any time you’ve got a player like that, they are hungry and they are going to do everything it takes to be successful on the next level.”
Rose is rated as a three-star prospect in the 247Sports Composite. He’s ranked the No. 24 safety nationally in the 2022 class.
Another of the safeties at Hallandale, Edric Weldon (6-5, 210), has USC and Clemson in his top 10 that he dropped on Tuesday. The others on his list are Alabama, Arizona State, Florida State, LSU, Miami, Maryland, Virginia Tech and UCF.
