"High Profile"

[ecu1984]

Gamecocks football adds high-profile Southern Cal transfer

cook2.jpg

August 06, 2018 09:00 AM
Updated August 06, 2018 12:12 PM
He’s making a move from one USC to the other.
South Carolina Gamecocks football picked up a transfer from Southern Cal in defensive back Jamel Cook, the school confirmed. The defensive back from Florida redshirted in 2016 and played sparingly last season.
Out of high school, the 6-foot-4, 190-pounder was a four-star prospect, the No. 99 player in his class and No. 2 athlete.
An injury forced him to sit out 2016, Out of high school, he made the 2015 Prep Star All-American Dream Team, USA Today All-Florida second team and All-State Class 6A first team.

He had offers from the likes of Alabama, Clemson, Florida, LSU, Miami and Wisconsin.

Cook tweeted out a release from Southern Cal. The Trojans at that point sought to block him from the entire Pac-12, Notre Dame, Texas, New Mexico, UNLV, BYU and Fresno State. The Gamecocks were not on that list, but that would have not been relevant regardless after the NCAA changed the transfer rules this past offseason, disallowing programs from blocking transfers to certain schools.

Cook is originally from Miami Central High School and was a teammate of current Gamecocks defensive tackle Keir Thomas. Gamecocks defensive coordinator Travaris Robinson and head coach Will Muschamp recruited him when they arrived at South Carolina, but he elected to head to Los Angeles. Cook was part of three consecutive state championship teams at Miami Central from 2012-14, was a first-team All-State Class 6A selection and was a member of the USA Today All-Florida second team. Cook also was selected to play in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl.

Here was the scouting report from 247Sports when he was a high school recruit:
"What can Cook not do? When you pop his game tape on, he is everywhere making play after play. Then you see him live and realize how tall, how rangy, how quick, and how athletic he really is. Likely a free safety on the next level and he has closing speed and ball skills. Could project as a wide receiver too. Always in the place to make a play. Goes hard, plays fast, and just a versatile athlete on the football field."