Northwestern WR Ger-Cari Caldwell commits to Gamecocks

South Carolina kicked off the late signing period Wednesday with the much-needed commitment of another offensive weapon in Rock Hill (S.C.) Northwestern three-star wide receiver Ger-Cari Caldwell.

Caldwell announced his pledge to the Gamecocks over his other finalist Tennessee during a ceremony in the Northwestern gym.

"Every time I went there it felt like home," Caldwell said. "The relationships with the coaches and players led me to South Carolina ... I was thinking about Baylor and Tennessee, but then after the coaching change at Baylor, it kind of shifted my mind about Baylor. At Tennessee, I loved the visit, but it ultimately came down to where I felt most at home."

The 6-foot-4, 193-pounder put together a huge senior season, parlaying it into a double-digit offer list that saw multiple schools prioritize him in December and into January.

Caldwell chooses the Gamecocks over offers from App State, Baylor, Charlotte, Duke, ECU, Illinois, Missouri, N.C. State, Northwestern, Tennessee, Virginia, Virginia Tech and Wake Forest.

He took official visits to Baylor and Wake Forest prior to the early signing period and then to Tennessee two weekends ago. Still, the Gamecocks were the presumed front-runner.

The former East Carolina commit officially visited the Gamecocks over the weekend.

A Shrine Bowl participant, Caldwell's recruitment was a team effort from the Carolina staff with Bobby Bentley, Bryan McClendon, Mike Bobo, Joe Cox and head coach Will Muschamp all contributing.

"(They'll use me as a) third down receiver, big-play guy; (Mike Bobo) compared me to A.J. Green a lot, and how he used him at Georgia ... I like that comparison."

Caldwell is the third wide receiver in the Gamecocks class after Rico Powers and Mike Wyman signed in December.