DT Eric Thomas (6-3 305) of Lehigh Acres, FL made his official visits to South Carolina over the weekend. That was his third and final official visit before making his decision later this summer. USC defensive line coach Travian Robertson has been eyeing Thomas as someone who could fill a big hole in their defensive line going into the 2025 season.

“On the visit, they had all the players on defense go into a room and they played all of our tapes and compared them to how their players play,” he said.  “They showed us the chances we have with parts of their D-Line leaving next year.  They compared me to #90 (Tonka Hemingway).”

Thomas added that one of the highlights for him was being around head coach Shane Beamer and the other assistants.

“Coach Beamer, I really like him.  He’s cool,” Thomas said. “The vibe of the whole staff, they seem welcoming.  You know, they’re from the South  and we’re from the South too, so I feel like it’s a bond there.  And my D-Line coach TRob, he’s real cool.  He’s been in the NFL before, so being with him could be a similar experience to get me to where I’m trying to go.” 

Thomas also made official visits to Syracuse and Marshall. The visit to USC put the Gamecocks in a head to head battle with the Orange.

“They are in my last two,” Thomas said.  “My two are Syracuse and South Carolina, those are my two options.  I’ll make my decision probably sometime in July, before my season starts.  It’s 50-50 right now.”