It was a little later than everyone expected, but Jordan Burch has finally signed with a college football team.
Burch, the No. 8 overall player in the 2020 class according to 247Sports' Composite rankings, affirmed his commitment to South Carolina again on National Signing Day beore sending his National Letter of Intent to the Gamecocks late Thursday. He initially pledged to the Gamecocks during the early signing period, but elected not to sign then so he could do so with his teammates this week. Teammate Alex Huntley signed with South Carolina on Wednesday.
“For the next three or four years, I will be with my friends," Burch said at his signing ceremony. "I think this is a good opportunity.”
Burch then donned a South Carolina cap — the only one on the table — seemingly ending his recruitment.
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Reporters on the scene, however, received mixed signals on whether he'd sent his NLI. They were also denied interviews by both Burch and his mother, Henri Burch. One reporter, David Cloninger of The Post and Courier (Charleston, S.C.), asked Jordan Burch if he'd sent his letter to South Carolina, to which he responded yes. Another, Josh Kendall of The Athletic, was stonewalled by Henri Burch.
Jordan Burch said he wasn't going to do interviews.
— David Cloninger (@DCPandC) February 5, 2020
I asked him if he sent in his letter.
"Yes, sir."
Jordan Burch declined an interview request after the ceremony. When asked if he could confirm if he had signed an LOI, his mother stepped in and said, "No sir, we're not doing any interviews." So, stay tuned.
— Josh Kendall (@JoshTheAthletic) February 5, 2020
Per a report by 247Sports' Tony Morrell (subscription required), the holdup stemmed from Burch's mother, who did not allow her son to send in his NLI:
"Following the event, the 6-foot-5, 275 pounder signed his national letter of intent with South Carolina, but it was not faxed over to the university. I am told Burch is 100 percent sure of his decision and fully plans to attend South Carolina. However, his mother has not given her permission for the NLI to be sent over to the Gamecocks. It is unclear if or when she will grant that permission. I am also told his mom is on board with him attending South Carolina, so her reason for not allowing the letter to be sent is unclear. I will continue tracking this as best I can throughout the day and going forward, if needed."
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One potential explanation for Burch's delay was LSU, which he described as being "neck-and-neck" heading into the early signing period. Some reports have suggested he was conflicted on where exactly he wants to attend. That left both South Carolina and LSU — Jordan's No. 2 team — in the dark as they awaited the Burch family's next move (both teams had one spot left to fill in their 2020 class in the case he wanted to sign).
Burch explained his decision to sign with South Carolina in December at the Under Armour All-America Game, saying he wanted to play somewhere where he "was a priority and not an option." He also touched on how he and his mother's priorities were aligned in where he wanted to go to school.
“I feel like me and mom are on the same page," Burch said. "My top five and her top five are the same.”
That said, Burch wasn't among the players listed in South Carolina's 2020 signing class — released on Wednesday — nor did Gamecocks coach Will Muschamp speak about him during his signing day news conference.
Muschamp, who per NCAA rules is not allowed to speak on a recruit who hasn't signed with his team, said on Wednesday he didn't know why a hypothetical player might not choose to sign.
“I don’t know," Muschamp said. "You’d have to ask them.”
This story has been updated from a previous version.
