2014 - Da'Shawn Hand

[Emery]

Originally Posted by MillerTime843

He's ours to lose! Were in deep with this guy!

we seem pretty good at that.

Sorry, it was teed up.

[SimpleGamecock]

Originally Posted by sc455

the top rated player each year never decides early.

The only one that I can think of is Mario Edwards Jr but he was also a legacy. However he even wavered at times so I am just happy that we are in the discussion for Da'Shawn at this point just shows we are on the rise

[Lalli25]

Woodbridge just hired a former Auburn player as their head coach.

Karibi DeDe


It will be interesting to see if this has any affect on his decision.

[imabeastonu]

Originally Posted by Carolina Pride

in response to Latti on twitter he said he was coming this summer...that is good news

if latti is helping out that is great in so many ways

[sporkgod50]

lattimore recruiting for us is great news. probably would be even more helpful if clowney became active with him.

[garnet_black215]

Him visiting this summer would be awesome. I'm guessing that means the showcase, but who knows.

I'm holding out hope he also comes in the spring as well.

[Carolina Pride]

tweeted a couple days ago that he was taking a break from recruiting and wouldn't be contacting any coaches until March because he needs to focus on school....This kid has a good head on his shoulders, seems like he has good character and work ethic. I really like that this seems to be the kind of kids we are attracting. We just gotta do what we can to pick him up this season

[acockyhose]

know its bleacher report but its an interview of Hand. was trying to just embed the video but couldn't figure it out. here is the link with the video.

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1...O_1SPmgkUbHX2x

he seems like a real fun guy. not someone who is stuck up about how good he is. definitely needs to be in garnet and black

[Jdallen20]

Originally Posted by garnet_black215

Having Deke makes me feel a little better.

True. HOWEVER, we just found out that he really likes Lawing considering he dropped UNC out of his top 5 and moved Florida in with the coaching changes recently. This shows that Lawing is still pursuing him hard and he has ALOT to offer at Florida. It also shows he still likes us and Deke. I can see this being something that will be a major positive for us, OR a major positive for Florida. I hope this does not hurt us. UNC got the shaft on this one for sure. My prediction is that when he narrows his top 3, it will be: VT, USC, and UF. VT has the proximity to home advantage, but they have been AWFUL lately (hopefully Hand notices the 'ceiling factor' in the ACC). UF has the history of being a winning program and the National/SEC Championship trophies to back it up. Muschamp/Lawing is a great recruiting potion as well. USC gives Hand the opportunity to play in the SEC and stay closer to home (closer than Florida), big time DE history, Deke Adams is a great recruiter, and the CLOWNEY/LATTIMORE factor.

I just have the feeling Florida had the edge because of Lawing. Hand would not have put Florida in the top 5 right after Lawing went to UF unless he REALLY LIKE HIM. BUT!!! The fact that we are still in the top 5 in encouraging considering he dropped UNC and Deke is recruiting him for us.

[FloydTheBarber]

Originally Posted by Jdallen20

True. HOWEVER, we just found out that he really likes Lawing considering he dropped UNC out of his top 5 and moved Florida in with the coaching changes recently. This shows that Lawing is still pursuing him hard and he has ALOT to offer at Florida. It also shows he still likes us and Deke. I can see this being something that will be a major positive for us, OR a major positive for Florida. I hope this does not hurt us. UNC got the shaft on this one for sure. My prediction is that when he narrows his top 3, it will be: VT, USC, and UF. VT has the proximity to home advantage, but they have been AWFUL lately (hopefully Hand notices the 'ceiling factor' in the ACC). UF has the history of being a winning program and the National/SEC Championship trophies to back it up. Muschamp/Lawing is a great recruiting potion as well. USC gives Hand the opportunity to play in the SEC and stay closer to home (closer than Florida), big time DE history, Deke Adams is a great recruiter, and the CLOWNEY/LATTIMORE factor.

I just have the feeling Florida had the edge because of Lawing. Hand would not have put Florida in the top 5 right after Lawing went to UF unless he REALLY LIKE HIM. BUT!!! The fact that we are still in the top 5 in encouraging considering he dropped UNC and Deke is recruiting him for us.

Dont worry...as soon as Lawing called Hand while he's drunk, and tells him he's a pu**y if he doesn't sign with Florida...we wont have to worry about him.

[CoverTwo]

Article via ESPN

DE Da'Shawn Hand of Woodbridge, VA released an updated top five list on Twitter Monday night. The only change from his top five a month ago was the addition of Florida and the deletion of North Carolina. Hand has a strong relationship with new Florida defensive line coach Brad Lawing dating to Lawing's days at USC, and that's why he added the Gators. His top five schools now are USC, Florida, Virginia Tech, Michigan and Alabama. Hand plans to go to Virginia Tech's junior day in April. He plans to visit USC this summer. Last season Hand had 110 tackles with 40 tackles for loss and 16 sacks.

Link: http://www.goupstate.com/article/201...851/-1/PSPORTS

[gamecockjay]

http://www.fannation.com/truth_and_r...y-star-recruit

SI article in the truth and rumors section.

[CoverTwo]

Hand, the consensus top prospect in the 2014 class, had a huge season on the field, piling up 78 tackles and 16 sacks while constantly facing double and triple teams. He was named All-Met by the Washington Post and is a fixture on most All-American teams. The 6-foot-5, 250-pounder also wrestles and is a state contender in his weight class. His most recent top five out of more than 60 offers consisted of Alabama, Florida, Michigan, South Carolina and Virginia Tech.

Link: http://247sports.com/Article/247Spor...an-Team-115768

Since the first Rivals250 To Watch in November, there has speculation regarding who would be No. 1 in February.

"To me it wasn't that much of a question, but it did become interesting," Farrell said. "I tweeted way back in April of last year that I thought I was seeing the best player in the country in Da'Shawn Hand and more in-person evaluations have cemented that feeling. However, there were some guys who pushed up into the discussion and it will be interesting.

"But Hand is special, he's a 6-foot-4, 250-pounder whose athleticism is off the charts and can come off the edge or hold the line of scrimmage depending on where he's lined up. He played defensive tackle quite a bit for his team this year without complaint and was still dominant. And his high character just adds to the formula for potential success."

Link: http://www.cockytalk.com/showthread....165611&page=12

[trapper82]

Here is a excerpt from something a buddy showed me:

He likes Mangus and new defensive line coach Deke Adams, who was recruiting him at North Carolina. Hand will get his first look at South Carolina when the Gamecocks' roll out the red carpet for him when he likely visits for the Garnet and Black spring game.

So the question I have...can we do something like we did with Clowney at that basketball game? If it is completely fan organized, that doesn't violate anything does it?

[mike1520]

not sure about fans support, but this came from the early defense outlook from 247

[CoverTwo]

Trapper - please use the search function next time. Thanks.

[b381l]

I have a feeling Hand stays in state and goes to Tech. We've never done much in Va.

[ReadR00ster]

^^^^^^
So negative. We've never been this good on a consistent level either.

[gotrice?]

Originally Posted by b381l

I have a feeling Hand stays in state and goes to Tech. We've never done much in Va.

VT is probably the team to beat but we have a legit chance at Hand which is all you can ask for. If we were to land Hand it would be the biggest recruit we've landed because it would be an out of state #1 overall prospect plus potentially start to bust open VA as a pipeline.

[b381l]

Originally Posted by ReadR00ster

^^^^^^
So negative. We've never been this good on a consistent level either.

Not negative at all, just being realistic......we've never had a history of recruiting well in Va.
Do we have a chance, sure, but I just think he has been hearing all about Tech for 17 years. It's hard to overcome that.