Why Gamecocks coach Shane Beamer says he will ‘never’ slow down in transfer portal
Shane Beamer smirked as he opened a news conference Friday mentioning the work South Carolina football has been doing in the NCAA transfer portal.
The portal, a highly publicized and frequently discussed database that college football players use to enter or exit schools somewhat freely, launched in 2018 and allows athletes to connect with potential new programs in a streamlined process.
With the NCAA’s decision in the 2021 offseason to grant transfers one-time immediate eligibility at a new school, the portal has grown into a viable option for many coaches and players hoping to connect with a fresh opportunity.
For Beamer, the transfer portal means there’s no rest period in recruiting new players to Columbia.
“We’ve been hard at work at that,” Beamer said. “We are still not slowing down on that, and we never will. Been busy recruiting for the class of 2022, 2023 and beyond.”
Beamer acknowledged that the first week of January is typically a quieter week from his end. Players haven’t returned to campus yet, and coaches aren’t allowed to visit high school prospects until the middle of the month.
But in the age of the transfer portal, Beamer said he was working the phones while he went away on a beach vacation to start the new year. He secured commitments from four athletes out of the portal to kick off 2022, and he said he’s talking with two or three other transfers with the goal of luring them to Columbia.
“With the transfer portal, it’s kind of wide open, do whatever you need to do,” Beamer said. “Last week would have normally been a slow week, relatively speaking, but it wasn’t because all we were doing last week was visiting with potential transfers.”
Beamer said he looks to the transfer portal with an open mind, rather than prioritizing any certain needs. He said he’s “wide open” to pursuing any high-performing player out of the portal, though he did recognize needs for defensive ends, outside linebackers and running backs, given postseason departures from the Gamecocks’ program.
South Carolina filled those needs to a degree throughout the past week, securing commitments from defensive lineman Terrell Dawkins out of N.C. State and running back Christian Beal-Smith from Wake Forest. The Gamecocks also added James Madison wide receiver Antwane Wells and Central Michigan safety Devonni Reed last week.
“It’s pretty flexible, kind of looking for everything,” Beamer said. “A lot of that honestly will just kind of depend on where we are as we go through spring practice. There’s always the flexibility of adding guys after spring practice.”
Like last year, South Carolina could add to the roster through the portal during the spring and summer. In 2021, transfer defensive backs Tyrese Ross (late April) and Karon Prunty (late June) committed to USC, though Prunty left the team shortly after arriving on campus.
The Gamecocks this cycle already added Oklahoma quarterback Spencer Rattler and tight end Austin Stogner from the transfer portal back in December. Neither has arrived on campus yet, though both have signed financial aid agreements with the Gamecocks.
Beamer said Rattler is “taking care of some loose ends” in his home state of Arizona before he comes to Columbia, and Stogner is finishing up classes at Oklahoma this spring. Beamer said both are expected to come to campus soon, Beamer said.
As for this week’s four new additions, Beamer said they are all in the process of getting enrolled and could be on campus in the next few days, if they aren’t already here. Reed tweeted his arrival Friday.
Classes at South Carolina started Monday. The Gamecocks begin spring practice March 15, with the spring game scheduled for April 16.
For Beamer, the transfer portal adds a new aspect to recruiting. Now, it’s a 24/7 cycle, and he won’t be slowing down.
“It does feel like it’s changed,” Beamer said. “The recruiting never ends. You’re constantly texting and talking to guys, even when you can’t be on the road recruiting. ... I don’t feel like we’ve slowed down a whole lot, but that’s just the nature of the beast. Even in the summertime, when you’re on vacation and all, the recruiting part, you never really turn that off.”
This story was originally published January 16, 2022 at 5:00 AM.
