"Wasted talent incoming": Fans react to 4-star WR Lex Cyrus's commitment to South Carolina

Susquehanna Township's wide receiver, Lex Cyrus, announced his commitment to South Carolina on Thursday. The four-star prospect chose the Gamecocks over Miami, Notre Dame, Penn State and Oregon, among others.

However, not everyone is thrilled with Cyrus’s decision to join the Gamecocks and some fans on X have termed his commitment a misstep.

"Wasted talent incoming," a fan said.

Lex Cyrus made five unofficial visits over the past two years before an official visit from May 31 to June 2. He even participated in the program's 7-on-7 tournament on June 21. Despite this close connection with Penn State, the prospect ultimately chose South Carolina, leaving Penn State fans disappointed.

"Ouch, another in-state recruiting loss for Penn State this cycle," a fan said.

Fans also extended criticism to Penn State's head coach, James Franklin, and his coaching staff.

"How does Franklin and Co. not prioritize the best in state WR with a competitive NIL package? When all CBs are forecasted to PSU, and USC comes away with the commitment, you have to wonder what we are doing? Hard to compete with SEC $$$," a fan said.

Penn State currently has two wide receivers committed for the 2025 class. With 22 commitments in the class, missing out on local talent like Lex Cyrus is a huge setback. As a junior, Cyrus totaled 67 catches for 1,115 yards and 13 touchdowns.

In contrast, South Carolina fans are on cloud nine after landing such a promising prospect and have warmly welcomed him.

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Lex Cyrus reveals the reason behind choosing South Carolina over Penn State

Lex Cyrus must be excited to join four-star wide receiver Brian Rowe and three-star receiver Jayden Sellers in South Carolina's 2025. But the decision to select South Carolina over Penn State wasn’t an easy one for him.

“It definitely was a hard decision. [Penn State] is a great school and it’s great to be close to home, just an hour away, but ultimately, when I weighed out all my options, South Carolina felt like the right place to be," Lex Cyrus told On3.

Wide receiver coach Mike Furrey is to be credited with this major recruitment success for the Gamecocks.

“Really, I would say probably Coach Furrey. He was definitely a major impact on this decision. Talking to him and the conversations I’ve had with him, he showed me that he’s probably the best coach that can develop me as a man and football player the next three to four years.”

Many Penn State fans claimed they lost Cyrus' pledge due to NIL deals, but the prospect said the influence of such deals was minimal in his decision.

“It was a part of the process, but I wouldn’t say that was a factor in my decision.. I’m definitely excited to make some money. But as far as just picking the school, it was really just because of South Carolina, the people, the coaching staff, the team; I felt so at home there.”

Cyrus is the No. 109 overall prospect and No. 16 wide receiver in the 2025 class and the No. 5 prospect in Pennsylvania, according to On3. 247 Sports lists him as the No. 34 wide receiver in the class and the No. 8 prospect in the state.