Blythewood 2025 DT Sterling Sanders talks South Carolina practice visit
Sterling Sanders, a 6-foot-5, 295-pound defensive tackle Class of 2025 to watch from Blythewood High School, a AAAAA (5A) program in the Midlands area, has tendered offers from Liberty, Charlotte, Coastal Carolina, Connecticut, Georgia Southern, The Citadel, Western Kentucky, and Wofford, but he is also drawing interest from two SEC programs: Billy Napier and Florida, but more importantly to Palmetto Preps fans, defensive line coach Travian Robertson and the University of South Carolina Gamecocks just down the road in Columbia.
The physical Palmetto State pass-rusher that recorded 50 tackles, 11 tackles for loss, three sacks, and ten quarterback pressures while starring for the Bengals in 2023 reported an excellent visit to Williams-Brice Stadium to watch Shane Beamer and the Gamecocks practice on Saturday.
What stood out to the potential Carolina target during the visit came was an unique, up-close and personal experience with Gamecocks' all-legend women's basketball coach Dawn Staley, the three-time national champion fresh off from cutting down the nets against Caitlyn Clark and Iowa in Cleveland just one week earlier in a Sunday thriller that was the most-watched non-football or Olympic sporting event since 2019.
"What really stood out to me is when Dawn Staley started talking to the football team about how she never had a football coach that wanted to come to the women's basketball practice," the Bengals' star said, talking about Staley's reference to Beamer.
Also, when (Dawn Staley) said 'I know y'all have a 'tuff' schedule! So What! So What! Somebody got to play!" To me, that really shows how much (all of the sports programs) at the University of South Carolina cares about each other," Sanders said about the unity of the Gamecocks' athletic department across all sports.
The prospect drawing interest from the Gamecocks spent most of his time with defensive line coach Travian Robertson, Sanders' would-be position coach if Carolina ended up offering and signing the local prospect down the road.
"I spent the most time with Coach Robertson. I didn't get to talk to him that much, but when I did, he told me that he would be attending one of my spring practices and that he wants me to come camp for the summer. 'After that, we will go from there,' he said.
Sanders also took visits to Georgia Southern, North Carolina, North Carolina State, and Coastal over spring break, and has visited Georgia Tech, Vanderbilt, and Duke, each of the three academic schools who have interest in Sanders, he confirmed with Palmetto Preps.
He confirmed to recruiting editor Lee Wardlaw that he will return to Carolina for the Spring Game. "I will be back at the South Carolina spring game this weekend," Sanders said.
