One of the top 10 football prospects in the state of North Carolina is headed south of the border.
On Thursday, Mohamed Kaba, a four-star linebacker from Clinton (N.C.) High School, committed to South Carolina ahead of fellow finalists Clemson, Duke, Florida, North Carolina, Notre Dame, Oklahoma and Tennessee.
In the end, it was the relationship Kaba forged with the South Carolina coaches, their style and the lengths to which they emphasized he could make a difference in their system that convinced Kaba the Gamecocks were for him.
“For one, when I watched (South Carolina) practice, the defensive coaches were hands on,” Kaba told 247Sports. “They pretty much looked like players on the field without pads. I could also relate to them better than any other school.
“I also get more comfortable every time I’m there and it feels like home. … I like (Coach Will Muschamp’s) coaching history and the people he’s coached with in his career. Like I mentioned earlier, I like that he’s a defensive-minded head coach, and that’s a great thing. He’s coached with the best, so I feel like he’s going to know what should be done. He showed me their (recruiting) board when I went up there and my name was on the top, and that showed me how important I am to them. He told me I’m a top priority for them and that was great.”
Kaba is the first defensive commitment in South Carolina’s Class of 2020, and he obviously starts the unit with a bang. He’s also the fourth four-star recruit in the class, an early coup for Muschamp.
Now Kaba gets to return his focus to the end of his junior school year and his senior season ahead.
