FOUR-STAR DEFENSIVE BACK LATEST PROSPECT DECOMMITTING FROM SOUTH CAROLINA
By FITSNEWS || The University of South Carolina’s free fall in football continued this week when four-star defensive back Mark Fields, Jr. de-committed from the school – becoming the sixth prospect to bail on the Gamecocks this year.
Fields – a 5-foot-11, 185 pound cornerback from Cornelius, N.C. (William Amos Hough) – was considered one of the gems of the Gamecocks’ 2015 recruiting class. The son of Carolina Panthers linebacker Mark Fields, the speedster was a consensus four-star recruit who was expected to provide immediate help to South Carolina’s much-maligned secondary.
Now Fields is looking at taking his talents to Clemson University … or possibly the University of Texas. In fact he has a visit with Clemson scheduled for early next year.
Why did he de-commit from South Carolina?
“There’s just too much uncertainty,” Fields told recruiting analyst Phil Kornblut, ostensibly referring to the school’s coaching situation.
Head coach Steve Spurrier – who brought the Gamecock program into the national limelight from 2010-13 – has said he will retire within the next two or three years, which analysts believe is costing the program on the recruiting trail. It also didn’t help that South Carolina failed to land former Florida head coach Will Muschamp as its defensive coordinator.
“At this point Spurrier needs to come out and address this because it has cost the Gamecocks at least four solid players,” the website Garnet and Black Attack opined.
Spurrier attempted to address the situation directly with Fields – visiting with the recruit last week in an effort to keep him in the fold.
Those efforts obviously failed …
Spurrier’s squad finished 2013 with a No. 4 national ranking and its third consecutive eleven win season. South Carolina entered the 2014 campaign ranked No. 9 in the nation, but a nonexistent defense that was badly exposed in the season opener against Texas A&M couldn’t hold fourth quarter leads against SEC East rivals Missouri, Kentucky and Tennessee.
As a result the Gamecocks (6-6, 3-5 SEC) could wind up with a losing record for the first time in ten seasons under Spurrier.
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26 comments
End of the Lou Holtz era re-visited. Tanner needs to step up and be a proactive AD.
They’re already bringing in the juco transfers. How great did that work out the last time?
People, listen! The Chicken Curse was not dead, only in remission!
“Wait ’til next year!!!”… err, wait I just looked at next year’s schedule… “Wait ’til the year after next!!!”.
He looks gay to me.
Yea, will probably end up at Clemson.
Stay classy, Bruce.
Guys named Bruce are often gay. He probably has a beard or goatee too.
I will give you $50 to go find Mark Fields, this young man’s NFL first round draft pick linebacker father, and tell him to his face that his son “looks gay”
When he was committed to USC, did you have concerns about his looks, or did his 4 star, #2 high school cornerback in US status make you overlook your concerns?
Look out, we’ve got a bad ass over here. I hear he was pounding his keyboard furiously as he wrote that.
His internet commando skills are beyond question.
A whole $50. Wheee. That must be your entire allowance for 10 weeks
If anyone would know, it would be you. Maybe you can catch up with him and ask him out on a date.
There’s a time to exit the stage.
Losing 5 recruits out of 30 is not a free fall.
keep telling yourself that
Actually it’s 6. Just saying…
Ok, that leaves 24 commits, right? Not saying it isn’t something to notice, but free fall?
Well it’s an average of two per week lately.
It’s 6 now. And really, yeah it is a free-fall at this point.
Why would you go to USC as a defensive player right now? Ward has done such a poor job that he’s not improving players, he’s not getting their potential out of them, and he’s doing so badly that there’s no way he keeps his job. Granted, you’d think there’s no way he’d have a job still, so who knows.
The only reason would be if you’re afraid of getting hit, since Spurrier doesn’t allow players to hit each other during practice… they might get hurt.
Isn’t there an old saying involving rats and a sinking ship?
Aberrationally good recruiting has ceased, and it’s now in retrograde with Tanner and Spurrier’s mishandling of this situation. The coaching staff isn’t the problem, it’s the degrading talent. This is not new in college football when great coaches near the end. I blame Spurrier and (high-functioning idiot) Tanner. Perhaps, sadly though, the sin is being honest.
Obviously Spurrier’s not going to do what’s necessary. Time for Tanner to do his job and take a leadership role here. This is looking worse and worse for Spurrier.
He still looks gay to me. Maybe we an butch him up a bit. Possibly lose the earrings and grow the fro a bit.
For Sale: 80′ Fathead