Local LB TJ Brunson commits to Gamecocks
The first recruit that South Carolina head coach Will Muchamp saw after taking the job has decided to be a Gamecock.
Columbia (S.C.) Richland Northeast three-star linebacker T.J. Brunson committed to South Carolina Monday morning following a weekend official visit to the school.
"If you're an alumnus from the school, you have connections everywhere, that's really important to me," Brunson said. "Football doesn't last forever and they definitely set you up and you definitely have outside help to prepare yourself for later in life. Besides that, the football is going in the right direction and it's going to continue to go. I think highly of Coach Muschamp. Everybody can say what they want about what happened at Florida, but the team (he built) played in the SEC Championship and the defense held that team together.
"I think it's going to be really good. It should be fun. The 2016 recruiting so far. The latter part of recruiting, they're trying to get guys in, but I think the guys that we've got in now, we're going to build something really special."
***What are Gamecocks getting in Brunson? Go inside the commitment!***
The 6-foot-1, 220-pound Brunson chose the Gamecocks over offers from East Carolina, Louisville, North Carolina, N.C. State, Purdue and Tulane. Brunson was at one time committed to Louisville.
Brunson was already a fan of Muschamp from his time at Florida, but the Gamecocks' new head coach also grabbed his attention when Muschamp, along with offensive line coach Shawn Elliott, went straight from his introductory press conference to Brunson's high school.
"It was cool for somebody to just get in, just start building right after a press conference," Brunson said. "You come come straight from something that you're obligated to do and you come straight to see a prospect. ... I just knew after he came to see me, how seriously he took his job."
Brunson says Muschamp tells him he's a fit for the Gamecocks scheme and that he's versatile enough to play any of the linebacker positions.
South Carolina special teams coordinator and linebackers coach Coleman Hutzler has taken over Brunson's recruitment since the Gamecocks' coaching change.
"I DM him probably three times a week, but I talk to him (on the phone) about once a week," Brunson said. "I've talked to coach T-Rob, talked to coach Thompson, I've talked to really all of the defensive staff. (Hutzler) is a younger guy. It's pretty cool knowing that he's younger, but he also knows the game too. That sort of stood out to me. I can talk to him outside of football, and really the whole staff is like that. They can connect to you on multiple levels."
Brunson is ranked the No. 14 prospect in South Carolina by Rivals.com.
Brunson took home the South Carolina defensive MVP at the Shrine Bowl of the Carolinas.