PJ Dean Announces Commitment to Georgia Over South Carolina

PJ Dean, a 2026 defensive lineman, has announced his commitment to Georgia over South Carolina.

The South Carolina Gamecocks have been trying to add more names to their 2026 recruiting class, but they just lost out on one of their top prospects. PJ Dean, a defensive lineman, announced his commitment to Georgia over South Carolina and Ohio State.

Dean is a four-star prospect, the 66th-best player in the country, the seventh-best defensive lineman and the sixth-best player in the state of North Carolina, according to composite rankings. South Carolina and Georgia both entered the race at the same time as they offered Dean on the same day back in 2024. Ohio State, on the other hand, got in late and offered him in March of this year, and almost did enough to secure his commitment.

The Gamecocks got Dean's first official visit this summer, but Georgia was right after them, and it looked like Georgia was going to swipe him away. The two programs battled it out until the last minute and it was the Bulldogs who came out on top.

South Carolina currently has nine players committed to the class. There are still some big names set to come off the board in July that the Gamecocks are in on, so things could quickly start to heat up for Shane Beamer and the program on the trail.

South Carolina 2026 Recruiting Class:

• J'Zavien Currence, CB
• Zyon Guiles, OL
• Keenan Britt, EDGE
• Jamel Howse, TE
• Anthony Baxter, IOL
• Aiden Harris, DL
• Andrew Harris, LB
• KJ Johnson, DB
• Sequel Patterson, ATH