Eckerson takes Gamecock unofficial

Lumberton, N.C. offensive tackle Hutch Eckerson appears to be down to five schools that he's looking at. Who is the 6-foot-6, 260-pounder considering according to his head coach?

"There aren't a whole lot of teams in the picture, but he talks mostly about Virginia, Virginia Tech, South Carolina, North Carolina and North Carolina State," said Lumberton head coach Bill Dockery. "Those are the five I've heard him mention more than any others, but he tries to be evasive and keeps us in the dark. Time and time again he says that he won't make a decision until February. He's just one of those guys that enjoys the recruiting process.

"He hasn't made any official visits or scheduled them yet that I know of. I still believe that Virginia and Virginia Tech are his favorites, but I could see any of those five schools sign him. He hasn't really tipped his hand to who he's really looking at."

Last weekend Eckerson took in the Alabama-South Carolina game.

"He went down to Columbia on an unofficial visit and said the guys there are big and fast. From what he told me he had a nice visit and enjoyed himself."

Dockery alluded to the fact that the three-star prospect may take some more unofficial visits, but they would probably be in-state.

Clemson and Tennessee have constantly been recruiting Eckerson as well, but neither team has offered.

This season the No. 37 offensive tackle in the country has helped his team to a 1-4 start.

"We won our first game of the season and broke a 23 game losing streak so everybody was excited about that and this team is moving in the right direction," he said. "So far Hutch has had a decent year as he's been playing at offensive tackle and defensive end.

"He's doing a lot more drive blocking and we're very pleased with what he's doing out there. This year he's much stronger than a year ago and better off the ball. He's powerful and knocking people back. He averages three pancakes a game and five tackles on defense."