High School

Four-Star Running Back Amari Thomas Commits to South Carolina

The former Florida State commit announced he will be taking his future talents to the SEC when he chose the Gamecocks on Friday afternoon.

Ross Van De Griek

2026 Four-star Running Back Amari Thomas committed to the University of South Carolina on Friday.
2026 Four-star Running Back Amari Thomas committed to the University of South Carolina on Friday. / Amari Thomas

Four-star senior running back Amari Thomas, out of Blountstown High School in Blountstown, Florida, announced he has committed to the University of South Carolina on Friday. Thomas was previously committed to Florida State before backing off his commitment to the Seminoles back in July.

Thomas chose the Gamecocks over Colorado, Florida State, Georgia Tech, and several others. Thomas is rated as the No. 22 ranked running back in the nation and the No. 48 overall ranked prospect in the Class of 2026, according to 247Sports.

Thomas also had offers from Kentucky, Florida, Miami, Ole Miss, Illinois, Louisville, West Virginia, Mississippi State, Auburn, NC State, and Virginia Tech, among others.

Thomas Coming Off A Dominant Junior Season at Marianna High

Before coming over to Blountstown during the off-season, Thomas was setting school records as the 5-foot-10 senior running back had 153 carries for 1,880 yards (12.3 yards per carry) and 34 rushing touchdowns for the Bulldogs. He also caught 14 passes for 247 yards and had three receiving touchdowns in 10 games played.

Over the last two seasons, Thomas put up more than 3,000 rushing yards, including 56 touchdowns, and also added another 570 receiving yards and six touchdowns as a receiving back.

Thomas Took An Official Visit to South Carolina

Thomas took an official visit to South Carolina back on May 30, where he told Rivals' John Garcia Jr., "I like Coach (Blackwell), all the coaches, honestly. They’ve got a lot of energy, and there is a lot of truth to what they’re telling me. I like the player personnel Coach (Moore), he's a great guy."

“The official visit was crazy,” he said. “I can’t lie. That official visit was one for the books, and it was at night. I loved it,” Thomas added.

Thomas Joins A Top-20 Ranked Recruiting Class for 2026

Thomas is the 15th commit for the Gamecocks in the upcoming cycle, where he is just the first running back to commit to Frank Beamer's squad. The Gamecocks currently hold the No. 19-ranked recruiting class overall and the No. 8 recruiting class in the Southeastern Conference (SEC)

Blountstown Has Big Expectations In 2025

Blountstown is coming off an 8-4 record in 2024, where they reached the rural-classification finals before having their season come to an end against Madison County. The Tigers will open up the 2025 season on Friday, August 22nd when they travel to Liberty County.

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Ross Van De Griek
ROSS VAN DE GRIEK

Ross Van De Griek has been a high school sports writer covering the state of Florida since 2021. Ross also has been scouting high school basketball and Grassroots Basketball across the Southeast Region since 2022. Ross has been covering basketball and recruiting for High School on SI since August 2024. He has collaborated with Next Up Sports, Prep Hoops, and On The Radar Hoops throughout his scouting career. You can follow him on X @rossvdg14 or reach him via email rossvdg14@gmail.com for story ideas.

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