Will this 4-star South Carolina football commit flip to another SEC school?

One of the top players in South Carolina football’s 2024 recruiting class might be on flip watch heading into next month’s early signing period.

According to a report this week from On3 Sports, four-star 2024 tight end recruit and Gamecocks commit Michael Smith is still in “regular communication” with USC but is also keeping in touch with Auburn and Tennessee.

Smith, a senior at Calvary Day School in Savannah, Georgia who ranks as the country’s No. 11 tight end and No. 128 recruit, verbally committed to South Carolina in January.

But Auburn and Tennessee are still “hanging around” ahead of the Dec. 20-22 early signing period for college football, and Smith’s commitment “does not look to be as strong as it was at one time,” On3 Sports’ Chad Simmons reported.

In an Oct. 29 story, Simmons also reported that Smith “is committed to South Carolina, but he is keeping one eye open” and has been in regular contact with Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel and tight ends coach Alec Abeln.

The Volunteers have a natural connection to Smith. His Calvary Day School teammate and starting quarterback, Jake Merklinger, is a four-star 2024 recruit and the No. 8 quarterback in the class. Merklinger verbally committed to Tennessee in March.

Tennessee was one of Smith’s eight finalists before he verbally committed to coach Shane Beamer and the Gamecocks in January, on the heels of USC’s exciting 2022 season featuring an 8-5 record, upset wins over AP Top 10 Tennessee and Clemson teams and a Gator Bowl appearance vs. Notre Dame.

South Carolina football struggles

South Carolina hasn’t been as successful this season. The team is 3-6 and 1-5 in the SEC heading into Saturday’s home game against Vanderbilt and needs to win its last three games in order to reach the six-win threshold for bowl eligibility.

No. 14 Tennessee is 7-2 and 3-2 in the SEC this season, while Auburn, another school linked to Smith, is 5-4 and 2-4 in the SEC this season under first-year coach Hugh Freeze.

Smith, listed at 6-foot-4 and 235 pounds, is the third highest ranked commit in South Carolina’s Class of 2024, which features 16 players and ranks No. 18 nationally in the 247Sports Composite team standings, which factors in multiple websites’ rankings.

Five-star edge rusher Dylan Stewart (No. 19 nationally) and four-star offensive tackle Josiah Thompson (No. 40) are the only Gamecocks commits who rank higher nationally than Smith (No. 62) in the Top247 rankings.

The senior has caught 18 passes for 470 yards and nine touchdowns this season for Calvary Day, which has a Georgia playoff game Friday. In his prep career, Smith has averaged 20.9 yards per catch and 51.6 receiving yards per game and has 30 receiving touchdowns.

In a February scouting report, 247Sports’ Andrew Ivins wrote that Smith, also a basketball star for Calvary Day, “has some of the tools required to emerge as a difference-maker at the Power Five level given how he runs routes (especially the short ones) and catches the football” and has “Sunday potential.”

Specific to this recruiting cycle, South Carolina already has a history with Tennessee and Auburn. The Gamecocks flipped four-star in-state receiver Mazeo Bennett from the Vols in February and four-star cornerback Jalewis Solomon from the Tigers in October.

Among its committed players, USC is also looking to keep four-star Flowers (Md.) High School cornerback Braydon Lee in the fold. Lee, who plays in the DMV area, has continued to keep in touch with and visit hometown program Maryland since committing to South Carolina in April.

Visits could be an key indicator of interest in other programs for Smith, the top-ranked skill player in USC’s 2024 class. On3 Sports reported Monday he was “likely” to visit Tennessee for its Nov. 18 home game vs. No. 1 Georgia and Auburn for its Nov. 25 home game vs. No. 8 Alabama.

But TheBigSpur247 reported Tuesday that Smith will be attending South Carolina’s home game against rival Clemson on Nov. 25 — as opposed to the Auburn-Alabama game — and there was “no word yet if he’s scheduled to visit anyone else.”

That’ll give Beamer and the Gamecocks another chance to recruit Smith in person and try to ensure the talented tight end’s commitment is solid entering December.