Blake Franks commits! South Carolina beats Clemson for priority in-state recruit

Lou Bezjak

The South Carolina football program continued to keep top-flight in-state talent on Friday.

Greenville High junior offensive lineman Blake Franks verbally committed to Shane Beamer and the Gamecocks during a ceremony at his school.

Franks picked South Carolina over Clemson, Alabama, Auburn and Florida. He took visits to all five of those schools and had all the teams’ hats on the table for his announcement.

Franks picked up the Gamecocks’ hat and then took off his gray Nike hoodie where he had a Gamecock shirt underneath it. The final decision was perceived to be between the Gamecocks and Tigers.

Many of Franks’ family members had USC gear in bags and put it on after the announcement to take pictures. Franks said he told Beamer of the decision a few weeks ago.

“I feel like my mind was made up a long time ago, but I had to come to my senses,” Franks said. “I couldn’t see myself going anywhere but South Carolina and feeling truly comfortable.”

USC coaches tweeted about Franks’ announcement. Gamecocks Player Personnel & Recruiting Assistant Sam Serbay posted a picture of Dairy Queen blizzards falling from the sky on his Twitter page. Franks’ father gave him the nickname “blizzard” when he was a child.

Franks is the sixth commit for South Carolina in the Class of 2024 — half of which are in-state prospects. Receiver Mazeo Bennett, Franks’ teammate at Greenville, committed to the Gamecocks in February. Woodland offensive lineman Kam Pringle, the state’s top-ranked prospect, committed to USC in February.

Bennett was in attendance at Franks’ ceremony.

“We got another one!” Bennett yelled out right after Franks made his announcement.

The Gamecocks hope to land another top-ranked in-state lineman next month when Dillon’s Josiah Thompson announces his college choice on April 14.

The 6-foot-5, 310-pound Franks is ranked as a three-star prospect by the 247Sports Composite. He is slotted as the No. 7 player in South Carolina.

Franks is the fifth Greenville player to commit or sign to a Power 5 school in the last few years. The other three Collin Sadler, Josh Sapp and Tyler Brown all signed with Clemson.

The Tigers looked to be the favorite for Franks, who grew up a Clemson fan. But Franks said things started to change around Jan. 21 after he spent the day touring USC’s campus and meeting some of the players.

“I got to spend the day there and just indulge myself with what the South Carolina lifestyle would be,” Franks said.

Franks and Greenville coach Greg Porter credited offensive line coach Lonnie Teasley and Beamer with their tenacious recruiting ability in the process. Franks said Teasley texted him moments before the signing ceremony.

Franks said he didn’t know he would be in the spot to play college football. He said during his commitment speech that he used to be a “pudgy” kid who would sit in his room and play video games.

Porter called it an “amazing transformation” from Franks’ freshman year until now. Franks had to deal with the COVID-affected season but hit a growth spurt and lost some of his “baby fat,” according to Porter. That and his relentless work on the field and in the weight room helped prepare him for Friday’s big moment.

“One thing about him that is hard to measure is his commitment and discipline,” Porter said. “This is good for him and I’m not surprised. ... You’ve got to almost push him our of the weight room and tell him go home. So, we are not surprised. We are proud of him..”

South Carolina Class of 2024 Football Commits

  • July 2, 2022: QB Dante Reno — Windsor, Conn.

  • Jan. 22: OT Kam Pringle — Dorchester, SC

  • Jan. 24: TE Michael Smith — Savannah, GA

  • Jan. 27: LB Wendell Gregory — Marietta, GA

  • Feb. 3: WR Mazeo Bennett — Greenville, SC

  • March 31: OL Blake Franks — Greenville, SC

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