Veteran South Carolina defensive back gets sixth year of eligibility

Rice transfer J.T. Ibe opened the 2018 season as a starter for South Carolina football before a knee injury sidelined him after four games.

The senior safety will reportedly get another season in garnet and black The State confirmed.

Ibe retweeted news he got a sixth season the school had applied to the NCAA for. The news had been reported earlier in the night by GamecockCentral and The Big Spur.

The hard-hitting graduate transfer found his way into the starting lineup early in the season, as USC tried to find a consistent presence at safety. He made nine tackles.

The Texas native started 26 of 32 games at his first school.

South Carolina remains a bit unsettled at the safety position going into next season. Veteran Steven Montac is gone. Freshman R.J. Roderick held down a starting spot at the end of the season, but is still growing into the position.

Beyond them, there are questions. Jamyest Williams had moments after moving there, but lost nearly half his season to injury. Javon Charleston and Nick Harvey transferred out. Israel Mukuamu and Jaycee Horn can play the position, but both were primarily corners as freshmen.

This story was originally published January 30, 2019 at 10:22 PM.