South Carolina finally announced the signing of defensive tackle Jordan Burch on Thursday night, more than 24 hours after the heralded prospect raised questions at a National Signing Day ceremony by not actually signing with the Gamecocks.
"I love the coaching staff, I love the people there," Burch said in a video from the South Carolina football program announcing his signing. "I don't think I could have made a better decision."
Burch, who attended Hammond School just a few miles from the South Carolina campus, is the nation's No. 8 overall prospect in the class of 2020, according the 247Sports Composite. He verbally committed to the Gamecocks in December. But the early signing period and National Signing Day both passed with the highly touted prospect remaining unsigned.
That left a significant bit of uncertainty surrounding the state's top player and the crown jewel of South Carolina's class on Wednesday. Burch is the only five-star player in the Gamecocks' class, which is ranked 18th nationally and eighth in the SEC by 247Sports.
Burch and his family shied from granting interview requests over the last few months and again refused to speak Wednesday after a ceremony at his high school.
Muschamp attended the event at Hammond School in Columbia, S.C., as his son, Jackson Muschamp, is a classmate with Burch. The younger Muschamp signed with Georgia as a preferred walk-on quarterback, while another Hammond School defensive tackle, Alex Huntley, also signed with the Gamecocks -- as did a pair of preferred walk-ons from the school.
Even though Burch wore South Carolina gear at the event and said he planned to continue his football-playing career with his friends, he did not submit a signed letter like his teammates. But on Thursday, he finally did, which put an end to the saga.
