South Carolina football currently owns a top-5 national recruiting class for the 2026 cycle as they are one of just four programs with at least three commitments in the class. 4-star quarterback Landon Duckworth and 4-star linebacker Rodney Colton, Jr. are both top-100 prospects in America, and offensive lineman Anthony Baxter is the type of player poised to outperform his modest rating.

In the last month, several other ’26 recruits have had good things to say about the South Carolina football program. Most recently, an intriguing tight end prospect from the state of Pennsylvania named the Gamecocks as one of his favorite schools.

Athletic pass-catcher Carter Bashir listed the South Carolina Gamecocks, Miami Hurricanes, Syracuse Orange, Virginia Tech Hokies, Boston College Eagles, Duke Blue Devils, and Charlotte 49ers as his top-7 schools at this point in his recruitment. Bashir’s list is made up of all seven of the Division-I schools that have offered him so far.

As a player, Bashir is a big-bodied athlete who is a weapon on jump balls, especially in the red zone. He is a good leaper, but even more than that, Bashir is proficient at positioning his body to “box out” defensive backs.

Primarily used as a receiving tight end, Bashir is a willing blocker. He is far from a road grader at the point of attack, but his willingness to give solid effort as a blocker will go a long way in his development in that part of his game.

With experience lining up as an in-line tight end, as a wide receiver, as a slot tight end, and even as an h-back, Bashir has been used all over his Neumann Goretti High School offense. The Gamecocks move their tight ends around a lot, so that versatility would fit in well in Columbia.

Bashir has played some defensive end in high school, as well, but he is rated as a tight end by the major recruiting services.