South Carolina becomes first SEC offer for talented offensive lineman

Elite offensive lineman Darius Gray was one of the top signees for South Carolina in the class of 2026. Now, another Richmond native on the o-line has earned himself a Gamecock offer.

On Tuesday night, class of 2028 Richmond (VA) Varina High standout Jarmel Powell Jr. announced that South Carolina offensive line coach Randy Clements had extended an offer his way.

The Gamecock interest actually marks Powell’s first Southeastern Conference offer. He has offers from other power programs like Penn State, Maryland, Syracuse, Wake Forest, Pittsburgh, West Virginia, and Virginia Tech.

Nicknamed the “Mailman,” Powell has picked up two major offers in the last 48 hours.

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Listed at 6-5 and 300 pounds, Powell has experience playing on both the interior and the outside of the offensive line. As a sophomore in 2025, he primarily played right tackle at Varina and looked the part.

Powell still has some refining to do (as do all young prospects), but he has an extremely intriguing tool set. He boasts impressive power and leg drive, especially for a player his age. Once he gets his legs moving, high school defenders don’t stand a chance in the run game. Powell also has the base needed to anchor in pass protection.

As a solid athlete, Powell has the movement ability needed to become a well-rounded collegiate blocker. On film, he showed a great first step as a puller, and he crashed hard inside when asked to block down on defensive tackles. He is also a high-effort player, something that will translate well to playing in college.

As of the time of this writing, Powell does not hold an official recruiting ranking. The big fella’s offer list is expanding, though, and with the increased exposure, a ranking will follow in the not-too-distant future.

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