Dec 6, 2024; Birmingham, AL, USA; Jackson's Landon Duckworth (1) and Jackson's Chris Payne (5) talk during a timeout during the game with Cherokee County at Protective Stadium in the AHSAA 4A State Championship game. Gary Cosby Jr. / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

2026 QB Landon Duckworth Announces Final Five - Includes South Carolina Gamecocks

Originally posted on South Carolina Gamecocks on SI
By Jonathan Williams | Last updated May 9, 2025 10:56 AM ET

Landon Duckworth, a 2026 quarterback, has announced his final five and included South Carolina.

The South Carolina Gamecocks are looking to pick up steam in the 2026 recruiting class and one of their top prospects has announced a final five. Quarterback Landon Duckworth announced he will decide between Ole Miss, South Carolina, Florida State, North Carolina and Auburn.

Duckworth is rated a four-star prospect, the 55th-best player in the country, the sixth-best quarterback and the fifth-best player in the state of Alabama, according to composite rankings. Duckworth has official visits lined up to Auburn, Georgia, South Carolina, Florida State and Ole Miss in that order.

It is worth noting that Georgia recently landed five-star quarterback Jared Curtis, so Duckworth may not be taking the trip up to Athens anymore.

Duckworth is a critical recruitment for the Gamecocks. They do not have a quarterback in the class yet and they have strukc out on multiple recruits at the position. Brady Smigiel recently committed to Michigan and the Gamecocks were at one point in the mix for Jared Curtis before being cut from his list.

The Alabama native is now the premiere option for South Carolina in this class right now and they will have to battle some heavy hitters to close this one out. Many believe Duckworth to be an Ole Miss lean as of now, so their official visit with the high profiled prospect will be a big one.