There may have been several potential suitors coming on late in the recruiting race for Brandon Curry, but even so, the Pendleton High School product had little trouble sticking to his guns.

The newly graduated Bulldog product recently announced his decision to continue his standout track career at USC Upstate in the fall, where Curry will primarily run the 110-meter hurdles with the Spartans.

And for Curry, who will major in computer science, it was a decision he knew he would ultimately end up making, no matter how much the recruiting process picked up late into the spring.

“I had always known, but toward the end of the year, more schools started coming into the picture and it kind of played with my mind a little bit, but I stuck with them,” Curry said.

Some of the other schools that came on late included Clemson, Coastal Carolina, Limestone and Mars Hill, but Curry said he liked USC Upstate’s proximity to home, as well as the way the school showed an early interest in him.

“It was that, and I kind of fell in love with the school,” Curry said. “I had visited them two or three times and really felt comfortable up there. I just felt like it was the best fit for me.”

The Spartans will be getting a talent in Curry, who tallied five varsity letters in track dating back to the eighth grade, and focused in on the sport fully after suffering an injury on the football team during his freshman season.

“I got hurt my freshman year and after that, I kind of felt like I had to put football behind me because track was more important, so I started focusing in on that,” Curry said.

That was a move that paid off well, as Curry earned all-region honors in the 110-meter hurdles in each of the last two years, while he also ran a host of other events when called upon.

As a sophomore, Curry qualified for State in the hurdles, and was also a part of the Bulldogs 4x100-meter relay team, which owns the school record in the event.

Curry, who came within one tenth of a second of the school record in the 110-meter hurdles this past season, also advanced to Upper State as a junior before an injury halted a season that saw him ranked as one of the top four hurdlers in the state.

His senior year also ended at Upper State, as Curry lost his shoe on the fifth hurdle while in the lead, causing him to trip and end a stellar season.

“I don’t really have all the medals to show it, but I was still ranked No. 1 in the State after the season even though I didn’t qualify,” Curry said.

During his senior season, Curry also won the 110-meter hurdles at Seneca’s Golden Corner Invitational, and helped the Bulldogs to their third straight Skyline AA region championship.

And with that, it looks as though USC Upstate will be rewarded for getting into the recruiting process so early with Curry, who looks to be a steal for the Spartans.