Jan. 12, 2009

The University of South Carolina football program has added six student-athletes to its roster as the spring semester classes got underway on Monday at the Columbia campus. The list of newcomers includes four freshmen, Jarvis Giles, Stephon Gilmore, Devonte Holloman and Chaz Sutton, and two junior college transfers, Josh Dickerson and Tony Straughter.

Jarvis Giles is a 5-11, 176-pound running back from Tampa, Fla. where he played for head coach Mark Kantor at Gaither High School. He was selected to participate in the Under Armour High School All-America Game in Orlando following his senior season. As a junior, he rushed for 1,478 yards on 238 carries (6.2 yards per carry) with 20 touchdowns. A four-star prospect who was rated the No. 16 player in the state of Florida and the No. 4 all-purpose back in the country by Rivals.com, Giles was considered a four-star prospect and the nation’s 35th-best running back according to Scout.com.

Stephon Gilmore is a 6-2, 181-pound cornerback from South Pointe High School in Rock Hill, S.C. He earned first-team all-state honors by The State as a senior playing for head coach Bobby Carroll. He helped his team to a perfect 15-0 record and the South Carolina AAAA Division II title after rushing for 1,264 yards and 23 touchdowns and passing for 1,770 yards with 14 scores. He rushed for 119 yards and three TDs and passed for 69 yards and another score in the state championship game win over Northwestern. Gilmore played quarterback in the 72nd Shrine Bowl Game of the Carolinas earning Offensive MVP honors after rushing for 71 yards and passing for 28 more to lead the Sandlappers to a come-from-behind victory over the Tar Heels. He was also selected to participate in the Under Armour High School All-America Game in Orlando. Gilmore surpassed the 1,000-yard mark both passing and rushing as a junior in 2007. A four-star prospect who was the eighth-best prospect in the state of South Carolina and the nation’s 16th-best “athlete” by Rivals.com, Gilmore was considered a four-star prospect and the nation’s 26th-best cornerback according to Scout.com.

Devonte Holloman is a 6-2, 210-pound safety who played his senior season with Gilmore at South Pointe. He was named first-team all-state by The State after forcing three fumbles and intercepting two passes as a senior. He helped his team to a perfect 15-0 record and the South Carolina AAAA Division II title. Holloman was selected to participate in the Under Armour High School All-America Game in Orlando and to the North-South game. He was regarded as one of the top players in North Carolina as a junior at Independence High in Charlotte when he notched over 50 tackles with two picks while also playing quarterback. He recorded 96 tackles and four interceptions as a sophomore. He was regarded as a four-star prospect who was rated as the seventh-best safety in the nation, the third-best prospect in the state of South Carolina and 89th on the Rivals100 list by Rivals.com and a five-star prospect and the nation’s second-best safety according to Scout.com.

Chaz Sutton is a 6-4, 236-pound defensive end from Savannah, Ga. who originally signed with the Gamecocks in February of 2008 before spending the fall at Fork Union Military Academy. He is a four-star prospect by both Rivals.com and Scout.com and was considered the 10th-best prep school prospect in the country. Sutton played on both sides of the ball at Jenkins High School in Savannah. He rushed 75 times for 830 yards, an 11.7 yards per carry average, and logged 85 tackles including six sacks as a junior. He was ranked as the No. 6 weakside defensive end in the nation by Rivals.com for the 2008 signing class and the 17th-best player in the state of Georgia. Scout.com ranked him as the 37th-best defensive end in the nation.

Josh Dickerson is a 6-2, 217-pound linebacker who played for head coach Bert Williams at Georgia Military College. He helped lead the Bulldogs to a 9-1 regular season finish and a spot in the 2008 Mississippi Bowl, where they were defeated by Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College. He recorded 32 tackles and four sacks as a freshman in 2007. A graduate of Camden County High School in Kingsland, Ga., Dickerson was considered a four-star prospect and the 40th-best junior college prospect in the country by Rivals.com.

Tony Staughter is a 6-0, 215-pound linebacker who also played for head coach Bert Williams at Georgia Military College. He racked up over 70 tackles on the season and was named to the first-team JC Gridwire All-America team while earning a four-star rating. He helped lead the Bulldogs to a 9-1 regular season finish and a spot in the 2008 Mississippi Bowl, where they were defeated by Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College. In that bowl game, Straughter had 10 tackles including three for loss, a sack, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery, earning Defensive Player of the Game honors. As a freshman in 2007 he recorded 30 tackles in 10 games. He was considered the 10th-best junior college player in the country by Rivals.com. Staughter graduated from Madison County High School in Florida in 2007.