Defensive tackle Rick Sandidge is a pretty big-time recruit, and he's apparently nearing a pretty big-time decision.
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Ranked as a four-star by Rivals and 247Sports, Sandidge has reportedly narrowed his interest list to five schools: South Carolina, North Carolina, Georgia, Michigan, and Florida.
Sandidge, who's from Concord, North Carolina, already has his official visits laid out and ready to go, with every school but Florida already scheduled to host the 6-foot-5, 263-pound defensive tackle, but Adam Friedman of Rivals.com seems to think this thing is tilting in one school's direction.
In his report, Friedman gave South Carolina the nod, though he did admit that the official visits could make things interesting:
South Carolina is the favorite to land Sandidge's commitment but official visits carry a lot of weight and those experiences can alter the final decision. Georgia is in a very good position here too and his relationship with defensive line coach Tray Scott is a big factor. The Tar Heels will need to show Sandidge that he has a great opportunity and that they can do a good job of developing him while being very close to home while Michigan's main focus will need to be showing him how he can thrive far from home.
Though South Carolina is technically an out of state option it's worth noting that Concord is only two hours away from Columbia, so it's not like Sandidge would be too far from home, but he'd be playing SEC football. It's also worth noting that Chapel Hill is about the same drive-time away, so perhaps the Tar Heels don't have the home field advantage that they'd be hoping for in this recruitment.
According to Rivals, Sandidge is ranked as the No. 2 defensive tackle in the nation, so he's going to be a huge pickup for one of these schools. 247Sport isn't as high on him, ranking him as the No. 10 defensive tackle, but he's still a very notable recruit none the less.
Per Friedman, Sandidge will make his commitment on the February 7th signing day.
