The weeks leading up to fall camp at the end of the summer are usually filled with vacations for coaching staffs and a lot of nervous waiting as they try to find out if top recruits end up qualifying for admission to school.
In South Carolina's case, the nervousness might be outright panic -- as many as eight players from the class of 2014 might not qualify this season, according to a report from The State of Columbia, S.C.
"We would like to hope that at least two out of three (cornerbacks) are going to make it," said Steve Spurrier Jr., the team's recruiting coordinator, per the report. "That's a pretty critical area for our 2014 football season getting those guys here."
The State reports defensive ends Dante Sawyer and Kalan Ritchie have already announced they will be going the junior college route after failing to qualify. Defensive end signee Jhaustin Thomas failed to qualify from his junior college, per the report.
The three key members that are on the fence -- cornerbacks Wesley Green, Chris Lammons and Darin Smalls -- apparently are still working their way toward qualifying in time to join the team in August. Fullback Joe Blue and four-star defensive tackle Dexter Wideman are in the same boat.
"We have a plan either way with (Wideman)," Spurrier Jr. said, according to the report. "There are three or four that kind of fit into that group."
It's not unusual for a program to have one or two academic casualties to the recruiting class they sign every year, but eight is on the extreme high-end, representing nearly a third of the Gamecocks' 21-man class.
The State report also noted that 10 signees, including quarterback Michael Scarnecchia and four-star linebacker Bryson Allen-Williams, are already on campus and attending summer school classes.
Not all the news for South Carolina on Friday was bad, though. Quarterback Dylan Thompson told CFB 24/7's Chase Goodbread that wide receiver Damiere Byrd recently clocked a 4.30 40-yard dash, a pretty strong sign that he's fully recovered from knee surgery that kept him out of spring practice.
Still, the Old Ball Coach might want to adjust his recruiting targets going forward if eight players have trouble qualifying for school.
Follow Bryan Fischer on Twitter at @BryanDFischer.
