South Carolina offers future five-star prospect from Alabama

On Thursday, class of 2028 Huntsville (AL) standout Joey Fleming announced that South Carolina had extended a scholarship offer his way. Fleming, a ratings darling firmly in future five-star territory, is one of the top offensive line recruits in the country in the ’28 cycle.

The Gamecocks are one of more than 20 power conference teams to get involved with the Alabama native via an offer.

The recruiting industry is split on Fleming’s positional future. Though he plays multiple spots at the high school level, Rivals considers him an interior offensive lineman. 247Sports and ESPN rate him as an offensive tackle.

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Fleming is a freak of nature as an athlete. Listed at 6-5 and 275 pounds, he has played both offensive tackle and tight end. His blocking ability looks like that of a high-end offensive lineman. However, his athleticism does not look like that of most linemen.

When he stays in to block, Fleming typically manhandles opposing defenders. He has impressive leg drive in the run game but can get into his drop and anchor in pass protection. When asked to move around (as a pulling blocker, other blocking assignments in space, going out on passing routes as a tight end), Fleming looks smooth and much more explosive than anyone his size should look.

According to the Rivals Industry Ranking—a composite average of the rankings from Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN—Fleming is the No. 30 overall player in the class of 2028. He is also the No. 1 interior offensive lineman in the country. Fleming ranks as the No. 2 player, regardless of position, in the state of Alabama.

The individual player rankings from Rivals list him as the No. 19 overall player in the class. Rivals has him as the No. 1 interior blocker in the cycle, and the No. 1 recruit in Alabama.

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