Dec. 20, 2006

The University of South Carolina has signed three junior college players to National Letters of Intent, it was announced today. The newest Gamecocks are wide receiver Larry Freeman, defensive back Sam Pope and defensive tackle Jonathan Williams.

“We are excited to have these players on board and are looking forward to having them join our team in the near future,” said South Carolina head coach Steve Spurrier.

Freeman is a 6-2, 212-pound wide receiver from Pearl River Community College in Poplarville, Miss. where he played for coach Tim Hatten. In addition to playing wide receiver, he handled the quarterback duties for four games during his sophomore season. He helped his 2006 squad to the MACJC state championship and a spot in the NJCAA national championship game, where the second-ranked Wildcats fell to No. 1 Blinn (Tex.) by a 19-6 score to finish the season with a 10-2 mark. Freeman caught over 50 passes for 800 yards and eight touchdowns as a freshman in 2005. He is listed as the 40th best player on Rivals.com Junior College top 100 and was given a three-star rating. He had offers from Arkansas, Ole Miss and Tennessee among others. Freeman prepped at Fort Meade (Fla.) High School. He will have three years to play two at South Carolina.

Pope is a 6-1, 195-pound defensive back who played at Southwest Mississippi Community College in Summit, Miss. for coach Charles Anthony. He collected three interceptions for the Bears during the 2006 campaign, returning two for scores. He turned down offers from Tulsa and Southern Miss to sign with the Gamecocks. Pope is a 2004 graduate of Beaufort (S.C.) High School where he was an all-state performer after intercepting 10 passes. He will have three years to play two at South Carolina.

Williams is a 6-4, 275-pounder defensive tackle who played at Mississippi Delta Community College in Moorhead, Miss. for coach Jay Miller. He was a two-year starter for the Trojans after initially enrolling at Butler (Kan.) J.C. He was a first team all-state selection in the Mississippi junior college ranks this season. He prepped at Glenn Hills High School in Augusta, Ga. where he earned all-state honors as a senior and all-area honors during both his junior and senior seasons. He was named his school’s Best Defensive Lineman for three straight years. Williams, who previously committed to Mississippi State, received a four-star ranking from Scout.com and a three-star ranking from Rivals.com. As a high school senior, he received offers from Alabama and Auburn among others. He will have two years to play two at South Carolina.