Don’t let that quiet recruiting buzz in Columbia fool you. This week might be about to erupt like a Shane Beamer locker room speech. Three 4-star prospects will drop their decisions, and South Carolina is squarely in the mix for all of them. First up is S Tamarion Watkins who’s set to drop his commitment on July 14. Then, there’s Landon Duckworth, one of the remaining highly coveted QBs in the 2026 cycle. But the biggest name on the Gamecocks’ game board right now, literally, is a Tennessee native. 

We’re talking about a 6’6, 280-pound trench bully from Kirkwood High School in Tennessee. It’s Kamari Blair, a top-25 national offensive tackle and the No. 9 player in the Volunteer State. In a breaking Instagram post on cfbralb on July 13, Riley Alberts wrote, “FOUR-STAR (‘26) OT Kamari Blair tells me he’s down to 3 schools and is set to commit July 16th. Blair attends Kirkwood High School in Tennessee. He is ranked as the #25 OT in the nation.” As it stands now, his top three schools are Tennessee, South Carolina, and Ole Miss. He plans to announce his commitment on July 16 at 6:00 PM CST. But who is he going to pick?

It’s been a heated race for Kamari Blair. His official visits wrapped up in June, with each of his top three schools getting their chance to roll out the red carpet. Tennessee, of course, has the home-field advantage and Josh Heupel’s staff has done all it can to keep Blair inside state lines. After all, he’s one of the three highest ranked uncommitted players in the state. Kamari Blair’s June 20 official visit to Knoxville sped up the momentum.

As Rivals’ Steve Wiltfong said, “In-state four-star offensive tackle Kamari Blair has shot up the board. South Carolina and Ole Miss have done a good job there but the Vols’ pitch to stay in-state has been enticing.” Lane Kiffin and Ole Miss aren’t backing down either. After his OV to Oxford, he said, “They’re up there right now. I’m a big relationship guy so the relationship I have with coach Garrison and James and then the offense that Lane Kiffin runs (stands out). We don’t talk every single day, but when we do talk, it’s very personal, not just like generic talk.” But don’t count out the Gamecocks just yet. 

Where does South Carolina stand for Kamari Blair?

Kamari Blair has been to Columbia multiple times, and he’s got a thing for the culture Shane Beamer is building. “The connection with the players can’t be matched,” Blair told GamecockCentral. “Coach Beamer even makes the players know everybody’s name… That’s a lot different than other places in the country. The family, the brotherhood, is just beautiful.” The June official visit included dinner at the HC’s house, a morning at the Soda City Market, and time bonding with current players in a move that clearly left an impression. 

Offensive line coach Lonnie Teasley has been the linchpin of South Carolina’s push, and Kamari Blair has been vocal about how much that relationship matters. And here’s another great outlook for the Gamecocks. “When it comes to a commitment, I think the thing that oversees all of that is how bad — like how much a school wants me,” he clearly stated. “Because I’m not going to go to Georgia or Alabama just because they have all those things that they don’t want me. But I mean, South Carolina has all of those things that I really look for in a school.”

If South Carolina lands him, he’ll join in-state maulers Zyon Guiles and Anthony Baxter up front, giving the Gamecocks a future offensive line that could anchor a real SEC contender. They’re already fighting a losing battle with LSU for a coveted O-line anchor. The question now is can South Carolina close with Kamari Blair over the two SEC schools?