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Tennessee beautifully trolled Shane Beamer and South Carolina on the first day of the early signing period

Originally posted on A to Z Sports | By Zach Ragan | Last updated 12/21/23

The Tennessee Vols beautifully trolled Shane Beamer and the South Carolina Gamecocks on the first day of the early signing period.

One of the Vols' biggest gets in the 2024 recruiting period was four-star wide receiver Braylon Staley, the No. 2 player in the state of South Carolina and the No. 17 wide receiver in the nation.

South Carolina tried hard to flip Staley late during the recruiting cycle, but the Vols were able to hold on to the extremely talented wide receiver.

Staley is already at Tennessee and participating in bowl game practices.

To celebrate Staley's signing, the Vols put up a billboard in Columbia, SC (were South Carolina is located).

Man!! Say they got my boy @BrayStaley on a billboard in Columbia Sc!!! C’mon Rocky Top!!✊‍‍ pic.twitter.com/hItvZMnCV5
— Brian Staley (@BrianStaley_12) December 20, 2023

The hilarious part of this is that Staley is from Aiken/Johnston, SC, which is about an hour west of Columbia. There's no doubt that Tennessee is sending a message to the Gamecocks by putting this billboard on their "turf".

Beamer, by the way, made it a point on Wednesday to suggest, erroneously, that the Gamecocks signed "the best" wide receiver in the state of South Carolina.

"We signed the best receiver in the state of South Carolina in Mazeo Bennett," said Beamer at his signing day press conference.

Staley is rated as the No. 2 overall player in the state of South Carolina and the No. 17 wide receiver in the nation. Bennett is rated as the No. 4 player in the state of South Carolina and the No. 38 wide receiver in the nation. Bennett is obviously very talented, but Staley wears the crown as the best 2024 wide receiver in South Carolina, despite what Beamer is trying to claim.

Beamer, of course, would've massively celebrated flipping Staley from Tennessee. So you can't blame the Vols for rubbing a little salt in the wound. It's too bad these two programs don't play each other in 2024...

This article first appeared on A to Z Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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