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Gary talks Gamecocks offer

Tahj Gary visited South Carolina in December to watch a bowl practice. He returned Saturday for a Junior Day visit and this time, he left with an offer.

The strong and powerful junior running back out of Atlanta (Ga.) Woodward Academy was not even thinking about the offer as he made the trip north, but he is excited he got it.

"I was very shocked and excited when I got the offer," said Gary. "I felt it coming soon, but not this soon. I was thinking like the next month or so."

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In the middle of the visit, the prospects were touring the facilities and that is when Gary got pulled aside and was told about the offer.

"Coach [Will] Muschamp pulled me out and we walked over to the office with coach [Bobby] Bentley. They just told me about the school and that I had a scholarship offer to come play for them.

"They told me they wanted to get me back up there in the spring and for camp in the summer so they could work with me. We talked about life, what I want to major in and things of that nature too."

Bentley is South Carolina's running backs coach and he is a known as a strong recruiter and he is great at communicating with kids. Gary likes his approach and they are developing a strong connection.

"Coach Bentley is great and he is always checking up on me. We can relate to a lot of things with me being a twin and him having a set of twins, so we are building that strong relationship.

"He really doesn't talk about the school, but he really just wants to get to know me as a person and my background. It is important that a coach has my best interest in life outside of football and I see that with him."

It is still a little early for Gary to have a favorite, but he has real interest in the Gamecocks. He sees at least one more visit to Columbia in his future.

"I have good interest in South Carolina and I will more than likely take one of my official visits there," said Gary. "I like the whole learning experience from the academics standpoint to on the field there. I like being around the coaches and how they have given me a feel for the school.

"The physicality and tempo of their practices and their strength and conditioning program have caught my eye too."

Gary finished with 2,367 all purpose yards and 31 touchdowns in 2017. He had 1,305 yards rushing, 782 yards receiving and 282 return yards.

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