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South Carolina just landed a major recruiting win. Five-star interior offensive lineman Darius Gray announced his commitment to the Gamecocks on Friday, becoming the final top-tier prospect in the 2026 class to come off the board. His decision immediately boosted Shane Beamer’s recruiting class from No. 22 to No. 19 nationally.
Gray’s commitment means all 121 of the highest-ranked prospects in the country have now declared their intentions for 2026. Of course, we’re still about four months away from the early signing period — and these players haven’t even started their senior seasons yet — so expect some flips along the way.
This is a huge get for the offensive line room in Columbia.
The Gamecocks had already secured four-star offensive tackle Zyon Guiles, but adding Gray gives them a formidable duo in the trenches. Beamer has now landed three five-star prospects during his tenure (joining 2024 freshman standout Dylan Stewart and athletic 2023 receiver Nyck Harbor) and appears poised to continue his streak of top-25 recruiting classes since taking over in 2021.
Gray couldn’t say enough about Beamer’s approach during his recruitment. “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 told 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.”
The Gamecocks beat out some serious competition for Gray’s signature. His final five included Clemson, Tennessee, Ohio State and LSU — all programs that regularly compete for playoff spots. South Carolina’s early interest clearly paid dividends, as they offered Gray way back in June 2022 and hosted him for seven campus visits.
While Gray currently stars as a left tackle at Richmond’s St. Christopher’s School in Virginia, he’s projected to slide inside at the college level. He’s not just a football star either — his basketball background has scouts drooling over his athletic potential. 247Sports’ scouting director Andrew Ivins believes Gray could be a “cheat code” in zone blocking schemes once he arrives in the SEC.
That said, fans might need to be patient. “Might need a developmental year or two to find his bearings as he levels up in competition and adjusts to the speed of the college game,” Ivins noted in his January evaluation. But the payoff could be massive — Ivins sees Gray as someone who “profiles as someone that has what it takes to blossom into an early-round NFL Draft pick with his basketball background and full-time, two-way snaps at the prep level.”
