Newest Gamecock commit has played 6 prep games

St. Matthews (S.C.) Calhoun Co. High’s Brandon Golson has been offered and has accepted a scholarship to South Carolina, despite a high school career that totals six games.

Golson, according to our sister paper The State in Columbia, was offered by the Gamecocks after they watched him work out last week.

“He didn’t hesitate,” Saints coach Walt Wilson told The State. “Before he went up there he said, ‘Coach, if they offer me, I’m going to take it.’”
In those six games, though, the 6-foot-2, 200-pound Golson had a whopping 18 sacks and 78 total tackles while playing at defensive end. Then, on Oct. 18, a car accident ended his season.

And that was his first season. Wilson had convinced him to come out for football after noticing a 79-inch wingspan tied to 4.5-second speed in the 40-yard dash. He was raw technically but immensely talented.

How talented was obvious in the season’s first game—Golson had four sacks.

Before his visit to Columbia, Golson, a likely LB in college, had been offered scholarships by S.C. State and Wyoming. He had also been invited to visit Florida and Central Florida, but declined.

“A lot of coaches saw film and wanted to see him,” Wilson said. “What happened at South Carolina was they saw him and didn’t need to see film.”

--Stan Olson