South Carolina special teams coordinator Pete Lembo may have found his latest star. Punter Mason Love announced his commitment to USC via a social media post Monday. Love chose South Carolina over scholarship offers from Navy, California, Air Force, Army and Arkansas State, along with interest from Wisconsin, Kansas and Memphis. The Missouri native is rated a five-star prospect and the No. 4 punter in the 2024 class, per Kohl’s Kicking — which ranks the best specialists in the country in a given recruiting class. South Carolina has had a slew of impressive specialists in recent years, including all-time points leader Parker White, kicker Mitch Jeter and incumbent starting punter Kai Kroeger. Kroeger, in particular, was named a first-team All-American by the Athletic and ESPN for his 2022 season. Love received a scholarship offer from the Gamecocks staff on Sunday and was in for an official visit in Columbia over the weekend.
SOUTH CAROLINA FOOTBALL 2024 COMMITS July 2, 2022: QB Dante Reno — Windsor, Conn. Jan. 22: OT Kam Pringle — Dorchester, SC Jan. 24: TE Michael Smith — Savannah, GA Jan. 27: LB Wendell Gregory — Marietta, GA Feb. 3: WR Mazeo Bennett — Greenville, SC March 31: OL Blake Franks — Greenville, SC April 14: OL Josiah Thompson — Dillon, SC April 19: DB Kelvin Hunter — Florence, SC April 19: CB Braydon Lee — Upper Marlboro, MD June 12: Mason Love — Riverside, Missouri
Source: Charlotte Observer