* The No. 11 recruit in the Class of 2021 announced his commitment on Wednesday
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South Carolina has had a knack for enticing blue-chip field athletes to its men's and women's programs in recent years.
The previous signing class alone -- the Class of 2020 -- had three incredible field athletes, including the likes of Jackson Marseille, a 7-foot-plus high jumper from Florida; Christian Lewis, a 24-plus long jumper from Kentucky; and Synclair Savage, 19-foot plus female athlete from Georgia.
In recent weeks, the Gamecocks have also seen pledges from pole vault athlete Carson Lenser and sprinter Anthony Greenhow.
Then Wednesday happened.
The Gamecocks received a massive commitment from MileSplit No. 11 ranked Jaden Price-Whitehead.
The Upper Dublin (PA) senior is arguably the top long jump athlete in the country for the 2021 season, and among the best two-way horizontal jump athletes in the United States -- Johnny Brackins and Floyd Witaker are also highly coveted prospects.
Price-Whitehead hit a US No. 1 mark of 25-feet for the long jump indoors in February, along with two other marks over 24 feet across the season. He also captured two marks over 47-feet for the triple jump for good measure.
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Of 11 athletes who had combined performances over 70 feet this past indoor season in those two events, Price-Whitehead's 72-10.25 was second-best overall among athletes in the United States.
In 2019, he posted outdoor sophomore bests of 24-0.5 and 47-1.75, respectively, which finished as the No. 2 wind-legal and the No. 12 all conditions mark for the sophomore class. On top of that, he also ran a wind-aided effort of 10.75 seconds in the 100m, and another aided 22.28 in the 200m.
Of course, we'll never know just what kind of statement Price-Whitehead could have made this past outdoor season.
No athlete in the United States was afforded much after March, when all state athletic associations put a halt to track and field competition.
While a fair amount of track athletes were able to find races and put quality times down, field athletes mostly bided their time with the hopes that a new -- and safe -- season would emerge in 2021.
Price-Whitehead was one such athlete who fit into that category.
But that didn't put a damper on the Pennsylvanian athlete's recruitment. He was recruited by North Carolina, Baylor, Arizona State, Oklahoma, South Carolina and Cornell.
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