October 6, 2009
[h1]Gamecocks trying to turn DE[/h1]
Chris Clark
GamecockCentral.com
Talk about it in
The Tribal Council
Titusville (FL) Astronaut DE
Darious Cummings was in Columbia this weekend for an official visit and told GamecockCentral.com about his experience, saying that it was "better than expected."
Besides taking in the Gamecocks' victory over South Carolina State, the 6-foot-3 lineman was able to take a look at some of South Carolina's new facilities.
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Can FSU hold on to Cummings? | |
"We saw the locker room and training room," he said. "The weight room is nice. I thought it was good that they had an academic building for athletes."
Coach
Jeep Hunter is Cummings' recruiter of record, and the four-star defender spent time with him as well as other members of the staff.
"We went to the walk-through and met up with the coaches. I talked with Coach
(Steve) Spurrier.
What were his impressions of his first meeting with the Head Ball Coach?
"It wasn't really what I expected," he said. "He is nice and laid-back. He's actually a pretty good guy. He knows his stuff."
If Cummings were to ultimately decide to head to Columbia to play his college ball, his position coach would be veteran
Brad Lawing, who showed the Florida native what his role would be as a Gamecock.
"He was great," he said of Lawing. "He's a good coach. I like his style and what he's talking about. He can get you prepared to play in the NFL."
One factor the Gamecocks have working in their favor is the play of their defense thus far this season.
"It was good," he said of the performance Saturday. "Coach Lawing sat me down and I was understanding what they were doing on defense. The defense was fast."
Cummings was hosted on the visit by a fellow trenchman.
"My player host was
Aldrick Fordham. He was just telling me that they had a lot of loyal fans and a great atmosphere. He said they are very supportive and let me know a little more about the coaches and how they are in practice."
Cummings, who also spent time with
Patrick Fish and friend
Ronald Patrickon the trip, discussed how coach Hunter has handled his recruitment.
"He's done a great job," he said. "He keeps in touch with me and lets me know they still want me and I can make an impact. He makes me feel welcome."
Two more officials are on deck for Cummings.
"I'm going to Florida when they play Arkansas. I'm also going to Florida State, but I don't know when."
When GamecockCentral.com asked the Sunshine State product what it would take for him to switch, he was unsure.
"Right now, I don't know," he said. I haven't been on an official to Florida State, just an unofficial. So it could be different."
Just how firm is Cummings' commitment to the Noles?
"It's still firm; I'm going to wait until all my visits are done and decide around December."
I knows there's 1 or 2 USCe fans on the board.
Word is that he'll decommit from the noles and be a Gamecock......IF Coach Haggins is not at FSU next year.