COLUMBIA, S.C. — Hammond School's Jordan Burch, one of the top high school football players in America, has made it official: he'll be a South Carolina Gamecock.
Or so we think.
Burch made the announcement Wednesday afternoon as part of a signing day ceremony taking place at Hammond School with other athletes at the school.
You may remember Burch, a five-star prospect, announced in December that he was joining the South Carolina Gamecocks. However, he only made a commitment, which is a verbal pledge. A pledge isn't official until a player signs what's known as a national letter of intent and sends it over to the school. That typically happens on National Signing Day. (There was an early National Signing Day in December, but he did not sign then.)
He signed a document on Wednesday afternoon, but it's not clear what it was. As of Thursday morning, USC still hadn't received the letter, meaning his commitment is up in the air.
Burch had made some fans worry if he might back off his pledge by taking a visit to LSU recently. On the other hand, he was also spotted at a USC basketball game with Gamecocks Head Coach Will Muchamp.
Burch is a five-star prospect who’s expected to play defensive end or tackle in college. He’s either one of the top five or top 10 prospects in America, depending on which recruiting service you look at. Simply put, he’s considered very good.
And here’s why: recruiters say Birch, who’s listed at 6 feet, 6 inches tall and 255 pounds, already had the body size and quickness to play in the SEC on day one. This year, he was instrumental in Hammond winning their third straight state championship.
That made him heavily in demand, as USC, Clemson, LSU, Alabama, and Georgia were all in the running.
For what it’s worth, Burch played alongside Muschamp’s son, Jackson, at Hammond. The younger Muschamp, a quarterback, announced he would walk on with the Georgia Bulldogs.
This year's Gamecocks recruiting class already includes MarShawn Lloyd, one of the top running backs in America, and Luke Doty, the reigning South Carolina Mr. Football.