New York offensive lineman sets official visit to South Carolina

South Carolina football has added quite a few names to its class of 2027 official visit slate for this summer. Rochester (NY) James Monroe offensive lineman Alijah Jones announced on Thursday that he had set his own OV with the Gamecocks.

According to Jones, he will take a multi-day trip to Columbia the weekend of June 12. The big fella picked up his South Carolina offer this February, and the Gamecocks have made a strong impression.

With 10 power conference offers to his name, Jones is the top offensive lineman in the state of New York. The recruiting industry is split on whether he will play inside or outside at the next level. However, he is a left tackle for his high school team.

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An All-State performer in the Empire State, Jones had a big junior season this past fall. He has athletic feet and long arms, two physical traits that have helped him as a pass protector. He also fires off the ball hard as a run blocker. Jones has shown on film that he can operate as a pull player, too.

Jones combines a strong lower half with enough fluid movement ability to be a “block finisher” who relishes opportunities to put his opponents on their backs. His strong play helped James Monroe to a state title.

According to the Rivals Industry Ranking—a composite average of the rankings from Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN—Jones is the No. 884 overall player in the class of 2027. He is also No. 69 nationally among all interior offensive line prospects in the 2027 cycle. Jones ranks as the No. 5 player in the state of New York, regardless of position. He is a unanimous three-star recruit.

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