Clemson and South Carolina plan to unveil two recruiting targets in the coming days.
Clemson target wide receiver Samari Reed (6-2, 190) of Coconut, Fla., plans to make his decision on July 3. His top five schools are Clemson, Kentucky, West Virginia, Penn State, and Mississippi.
Reed paid his official visit to Clemson during the first weekend of the month. He also visited Clemson and his fellow finalists earlier this year.
Last season, Reed caught 56 passes for 1,311 yards and 15 touchdowns.
South Carolina’s next target will be safety Jaydon Blair of Winston-Salem, North Carolina. He is scheduled to make an announcement at 3 p.m. on July 5 from a list that includes USC, Michigan, Virginia Tech, Florida State, Notre Dame, Penn State, and Louisville.
Meanwhile, USC target defensive tackle Bryce Jenkins (6-5, 326) of Washington plans to announce his commitment on July 6. He also has Tennessee, Maryland, and Rutgers on his shortlist.
Jenkins, who paid official visits to all four of his finalists, is a former teammate of Gamecocks freshman defensive end Dylan Stewart. They played at Friendship Collegiate Academy in Washington, DC. Aazaar Abdul Rahim, the program’s originator, now works as an assistant at Maryland.
On July 1, Clemson announced two targets for other colleges.
Cortez Mills, a four-star receiver who ultimately committed to Oklahoma, was one of the Tigers’ top targets. Clemson was also interested at offensive lineman Hardy Watts, who had committed to Wisconsin.
South Carolina, which just received commitments from 2025 quarterback Cutter Woods, who transferred from Wake Forest, and linebacker Taeshawn Alston, also missed out on several prospects.
The Gamecocks missed out on their top running back recruit for the 2025 class when Jeffrey Overton Jr. of Woodbridge, Va., committed to Virginia Tech. The Gamecocks do not yet have a running back commitment for the 2025 class, but they have extended an offer to Jayden Jackson (5-11, 215) of Franklin, Texas. Jackson, who paid an unofficial visit on June 14, has run for 4,500 yards and 65 touchdowns in the previous two seasons.
Several more running backs provided by South Carolina this year are no longer available. Bo Jackson and Isaiah West have committed to Ohio State, Daune Morris to Southern California, Jamarion Morrow to Missouri, Jamarion Parker to Nebraska, and Zymear Smith to Alabama.
USC target defensive tackle Eric Thomas (6-3, 305) of Lehigh Acres, Fla., has committed to Syracuse.
Tigers offer 2026 QB, WR
2026 QB Tait Reynolds (6-4, 195) of Queen Creek, Arizona, decommitted from Arizona State baseball last weekend and now has 19 offers from Clemson, Arizona, Baylor, Iowa State, Miami, Minnesota, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Oregon, Tennessee, and Wisconsin, among others. Reynolds worked out for Clemson offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Garrett Riley at Dabo Swinney’s high school camp, and he received an offer shortly after leaving.
Last season, Reynolds passed for 1,808 yards, 11 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions while completing 54% of his passes. He also carried 631 yards and scored 17 touchdowns.
Clemson has shown interest in 2026 WR Connor Salmin (6-1, 185) of Purcellville, Virginia. Salmin is one of Virginia’s quickest prospects, having won the state track championship and running a 10.4 in the 100 meters. Last season, he caught 53 receptions for 16 touchdowns and averaged more than 20 yards per reception. His other offers include Virginia, Virginia Tech, Arkansas, Ohio State, Texas A&M, Florida State, LSU, Notre Dame, Tennessee, Penn State, and North Carolina.
