AJ Turner commits to South Carolina: Gamecocks land 3-star RB

AJ Turner (Clifton, Va. Centerville) had his decision postponed two additional days after he originally planned to announce at Nike’s “The Opening” on Tuesday night, but for South Carolina fans it was worth the wait as the three-star running back committed to the Gamecocks.

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The 5-11, 187-pound tailback is the nation’s No. 342 recruit overall regardless of position, No. 27 running back and the no. 12 recruit in the state of Virginia, according to the 247Sports Composite Rankings. Turner first visited South Carolina last year on July 27 when he attended the school’s camp and took an unofficial visit to Columbia on April 25.

Turner is one of the leaders on the No. 8 high school team in the nation, according to Max Preps and is coming off a 1,256 yard season that saw him rush run for 23 touchdowns en route to a state title. He added 25 receptions for 437 yards and five more scores through the air.

Here’s one of his highlight-reel runs that went for a score last season courtesy of Max Preps.

A.J. Turner, Centreville on Twitpic /

Turner is the 20th commitment for Steve Spurrier’s 2015 class and the first running back in the class that is heavy on defensive recruits thus far. Four of the Gamecocks top five commitments are play on the defensive side of the ball and the lone exception is Jalen Christian who is designated as an athlete but could end up as a cornerback in college if he doesn’t stick as a wide receiver.

With Thursday night’s commitment from Turner, South Carolina closes the gap between them and the Auburn Tigers who currently own the No. 5 class in the 247Sports team rankings. South Carolina has 236.33 points, trailing last year’s SEC champion by a scant .46 points.

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