South Carolina's perseverance paid off today when they completed the flip of 4-star WR Malik Clark, who decommitted from Florida State at the start of October. South Carolina seemingly led Clark through much of the process, but an exceptional visit to Tallahassee at the end of summer gave the Noles a late edge. Still, WR Coach Mike Furrey, along with Shane Beamer and Darren Uscher, kept contact with Clark after he committed, and as the two teams' 2024 seasons began to go in very different directions, the Gamecocks were able to stay in the game with Clark.
After visiting for the Akron game, Clark seemingly was back locked in with the Gamecocks, and he made it official today. Clark joins a blossoming WR class, already composed of some elite players, but Clark's 6'2" 170 lb frame is a welcome addition. In addition to his long frame, Clark has an extra gear in open space and has been clocked at a sub 4.4 40-time in high school. He won the Upper State title in the 100-meter dash last year as a Junior.
On the football field, Clark caught 46 passes for 800 yards and 9 TDs last season, and MaxPreps has him at 31 receptions for 375 yards and 3 TDs through 5 games this season at Rock Hill High School. With the addition of Clark, and yesterday's commitment from 4-star Jordon Gidron, attention will turn to whether he can convince the third in-state WR, Donovan Murph, to stay home as well.
"Let's bring this state back," Clark told Rivals of his decision to commit to the Gamecocks.
Either way, Clark becomes one of the better WR commits of the Beamer era at South Carolina, and the 2025 class has found some late momentum. With he and Gidron in the boat, and the potential for more, this WR class is shaping up to be one of the best ever for the Gamecocks.
