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Report - Bryce Thompson Won't Be A Part Of USC's 2018 Class

It appears Bryce Thompson is no longer a part of USC's recruiting efforts and will not be joining the Gamecock program, that according to Gamecock Central.com.
Credit: Anderson, Reggie
Bryce Thompson won state titles in his junior season at Ben Lippen and his senior season at Dutch Fork.

Bryce Thompson will not be a part of USC's 2018 signing class.

The Dutch Fork standout who was a Shrine Bowl offensive MVP for the South Carolina team last December is no longer considered a Gamecock commitment and according to Chris Clark of GamecockCentral.com, Thompson is no longer being pursued by the South Carolina coaching staff.

The four-star Palmetto State prospect was a longtime Virginia Tech commit who backed off of that pledge and the feeling was he would eventually commit to USC which he did during Shrine Bowl week in Spartanburg, making the announcement on Twitter.

He did not sign that month, nor did he in the later signing period this February and according to head coach Tom Knotts, the USC coaching staff wanted to wait on Thompson to get his grades in order before allowing Thompson to come on board. Clark says this development has nothing to do with Thompson's academic standing.

According to GamecockCentral.com, Tennessee, Louisville and Marshall are schools who have been pursuing Thompson who has excelled on the biggest stages.

In 2016, Thompson scored the game-winning touchdown in overtime to help lead Ben Lippen to its first ever state title in football. This past season, he helped Dutch Fork win its second consecutive 5A state championship.

Thompson was an electrifying performer at both schools, always a danger to score anytime he had the ball in his hands. As a result, Derek White at Ben Lippen and Knotts at Dutch Fork used Thompson at receiver, running back and at quarterback out of the Wildcat formation. In fact the game winning touchdown for Ben Lippen in that SCISA 3A state title game against Porter Gaud was a short run for Thompson out of that formation. In the December 5A state title game against Dorman, Thompson had two touchdowns out of the Wildcat, one for 72 yards and the other for 25 yards. In that game, Thompson had six carries for 136 yards.

But it's at defensive back where Thompson is expected to start his college career. The only question is which program will land the player 10-time state championship winner Knotts called "the best player I've ever coached".

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