South Carolina landed a coveted local target Wednesday when five-star cornerback Joshua Dobson, the top uncommitted prospect in the SC Next 300, gave his pledge to the Gamecocks.
The 6-foot-1, 180-pound defender, is ESPN's No. 2 cornerback and No. 7 overall recruit in the 2027 cycle. He narrowed his finalists to Auburn, South Carolina, Michigan and Texas A&M this spring, making official visits to all four schools before he announced the commitment Wednesday evening.
Dobson is originally from Fort Mill, South Carolina, situated roughly an hour north of the Gamecocks' campus. But he completed an offseason transfer following his junior season last fall, moving from South Carolina's Catawba Ridge High School to Hough High School in Cornelius, North Carolina, where Dobson will close his prep football career later this year.
Dobson remained a priority for South Carolina coach Shane Beamer and his staff following the move this spring. Amid late pushes from Michigan and Texas A&M, sources told ESPN that Dobson's relationship with Gamecocks defensive backs coach Torrian Gray was a key driver in his decision to stay home with South Carolina. If he signs later this year, Dobson will be the program's highest-ranked addition since five-star defensive end Jordan Burch arrived as the No. 4 overall recruit in the 2020 cycle.
Dobson now stands as the top ranked of 14 prospects committed to Beamer's latest recruiting class, landing alongside defensive tackle John Archer (No. 183 overall) and running back Brayden Tyson (No. 295) as the program's third top 300 pledge in the class. Three-star cornerback Kelvin Millington and in-state outside linebacker Jackson Ross round out the South Carolina's current collection of defensive talent in the 2027 cycle.
With Dobson's pledge, only three of ESPN's 23 five-star prospects -- No. 2 running back David Gabriel Georges (No. 14 overall) and wide receivers Monshun Sales (No. 18) and Xavier Sabb (No. 20) -- remain uncommitted as of Wednesday. Sabb is scheduled to announce his pledge between LSU, Oregon, Tennessee and UCLA on Friday.