South Carolina lands 5-star DE Jordan Burch, program's best recruit since Jadeveon Clowney
South Carolina made a big splash on Wednesday when it landed one of the best players in the country.
Jordan Burch, a five-star defensive end who is a high school teammate of the son of Gamecocks head coach Will Muschamp, announced his commitment to the hometown school during a ceremony aired on ESPN. Burch, ranked as the eighth-best player in the 2020 class by Rivals.com, chose South Carolina over Alabama, Clemson, Georgia and LSU.
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The folks on campus were a little excited about Burch’s choice.
— Gamecock Football (@GamecockFB) December 18, 2019
And they will be even more excited once Burch sends over his signed national letter of intent.
Jordan Burch has not signed his letter of intent yet and is not expected to today. Burch did not take questions following his commitment.
— Josh Kendall (@JoshTheAthletic) December 18, 2019
Burch is the highest-ranked signee for South Carolina since Jadeveon Clowney in 2011. Clowney was the No. 1 player in the country that year. South Carolina signed another five-star defensive end, Zacch Pickens of Anderson, South Carolina, in 2019.
According to Rivals, Burch’s recruitment remained a bit of a mystery because he does not use social media very often and rarely does interviews. His most recent visit was to Georgia, leading some to wonder whether the Bulldogs had the upper hand entering the early signing period. However, Burch made the decision to stay close to home and play for Will Muschamp.
The commitment is massive for South Carolina, especially on the heels of a disappointing 4-8 season. During his ESPN interview, Burch noted that the rebuilding effort ahead at South Carolina was not a deterrent for his decision.
Another five-star — RB Marshawn Lloyd from Hyattsville, Maryland — signed alongside Burch in 2020. South Carolina currently has the No. 19 class in the country, per Rivals.
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