T.L. Hanna DL excited to walk on for 'dream school'
Anderson (S.C.) T.L. Hanna defensive lineman Jajuan Blankenship was originally planning to enroll as a preferred walk-on at Tennessee until Vols assistant Mark Elder took the Eastern Kentucky head job.
Soon after that situation "fell apart," Blankenship spoke with South Carolina offensive line coach Shawn Elliott, who ultimately offered the 6-foot-1, 270-pounder a preferred walk-on opportunity in Columbia.
Earlier this month, Blankenship -- who had a scholarship offer from Gardner Webb -- took Elliott and the Gamecocks up on their preferred walk-on offer.
"It means a lot," Blankenship said. "When I got my acceptance letter, that's the first time I ever cried tears of joy. I just couldn't hold it back. It just meant a lot, knowing that that was my dream school."
Blankenship says that his father, Jay Blankenship, went to South Carolina on a basketball scholarship but got in a wreck and wasn't able to play from that point forward. His aunt also went to USC.
"There's just something about that garnet and black," Blankenship said, "that ever since the first grade, I've always wanted to play for them."
Blankenship collected 42 tackles and 6.5 sacks as a senior in high school.
He's set to enroll at South Carolina in May.
