The South Carolina football team came away with a major recruiting win on Friday, beating out a number of top-tier programs to land a commitment from 2026 five-star offensive line prospect Darius Gray.

A 6-foot-3, 285-pound interior offensive lineman out of St. Christopher’s School in Richmond, Va., Gray ranks as the No. 30 overall prospect, No. 2 IOL and No. 2 prospect from Virginia in the 2026 class according to the 247Sports composite rankings.

Gray chose the Gamecocks over an impressive list of finalists that reportedly also included Tennessee, Clemson, Ohio State and LSU.

South Carolina now has the 19th-ranked 2026 class, per the 247Sports composite ranking, after the addition of its first five-star prospect this cycle.

The Gamecocks went 9-4 last year and finished a few spots out of the College Football Playoff. They are ranked 13th in the preseason AP poll entering their 2025 opener against Virginia Tech on Aug. 31 in Atlanta.