South Carolina Lands Blue-Chip RB Prospect Amari Thomas

South Carolina is blazing hot on the recruiting trail after landing four-star RB Amari Thomas. Thomas was previously a Florida State commit.

Thomas picked up an offer from the Gamecocks in February and took a visit to South Carolina back on May 30th. The relationship only got stronger from there.

According to Rivals, Thomas is a four-star prospect, the No. 18 running back, the No. 25 player in Florida, and the No. 185 player nationally. He is ranked highest on the Rivals recruiting platform compared to ESPN and 247Sports platforms.

On the gridiron, Thomas had a dominant season, rushing for nearly 2,000 yards. He rushed for 1,880 yards and 34 touchdowns. An interesting stat when comparing his sophomore season to his junior season is how many yards per carry he averaged. In 2023, he averaged 8.9, and that number jumped to 12.3 yards per game in just 10 games played a season ago at Marianna. It’s already been a great high school star for Thomas, who has rushed for 3,245 yards and 56 touchdowns in his prep career.

After helping lead Marianna to a 10-1 record, Thomas transferred this offseason to Blountstown (FL) and will suit up for the Tigers this upcoming season. Thomas is the first running back commit for the 2026 class for the Gamecocks. He’s also the first running back recruit in nearly two seasons for South Carolina after the Gamecocks didn’t take a high school prospect in the 2025 class. Before Thomas, the last prospect was Matthew Fuller of Wayne County.

Thomas is the full package at the running back position. He can block, run in between the tackles, has an elite burst to hit the second level quickly, and is tough to bring down in the open field. He’s also continued to improve as a pass catcher out of the backfield, becoming a more reliable target for his team when a play breaks down. South Carolina now has their running back of the future and a player that should be able to crack the rotation early.