On Tuesday, South Carolina football sent out a scholarship offer to class of 2027 athlete James Bethea. Bethea, a Florida native, hasn’t quite caught on in the cycle’s recruiting rankings. However, his recruitment is heating up, and his offer list is impressive.
With seemingly others still on the way, Bethea has pulled in offers from South Carolina, Alabama, Georgia, Florida, Oklahoma, Miami, Tennessee, Kentucky, Texas A&M, Auburn, Vanderbilt, Nebraska, Kansas, Missouri, Houston, Washington, Louisville, Rutgers, Duke, Georgia Tech, UCF, and a host of Group of Five schools.
The majority of Bethea’s offers have come since the spring. He previously announced a top 10, but that was before he earned many of his biggest offers. He also recently earned a nomination for the Navy All-American Bowl.
As a player, Bethea is a well put-together prospect. Listed at 6-1 and 190 pounds, he plays on all three phases for his Vanguard High School squad.
As a receiver, Bethea is smooth and plays with physicality. He is a deep threat thanks to solid speed and an ability to go get the ball in 50-50 situations. He is also a willing blocker who puts forth more effort into that part of his game than most at his position.
On defense, Bethea isn’t afraid to leave his spot in the secondary to provide run support. He is also an aggressive playmaker when the ball is in the air. Primarily a safety on that side of the ball, the impressive athlete has a knack for knocking the ball loose, both for fumbles and pass breakups.
Bethea is a willing special teams participant, too, even in situations in which he doesn’t have the football. A sign of being a good teammate, on film, he seems to get excited about helping his teammates make big plays.