How South Carolina is addressing positions of need through the transfer portal
South Carolina’s offseason hype train rolls on.
After a 7-6 debut season under Shane Beamer, the Gamecocks are only a month and a half out from the start of spring practices and the first look at what this squad might be in 2022.
Beamer and his staff have spent the offseason hammering the transfer portal to help improve on the new regime’s first fall in Columbia.
So how has South Carolina fared in adding talent to plug positions of need? Let’s break it down.
Quarterback
OUT: Jason Brown (Transferred to Virginia Tech), Zeb Noland (no eligibility)
IN: Spencer Rattler (Oklahoma), Tanner Bailey (four-star recruit), Braden Davis (three-star recruit)
Any discussion of South Carolina’s offseason has to start with Oklahoma quarterback import Spencer Rattler. His commitment in December sent shockwaves through college football and put South Carolina in the national conversation overnight.
The former OU signal-caller enters the year as one of the most talented quarterbacks South Carolina has ever had — on paper. If he’s closer to the quarterback he was his first year as the Sooners’ starter than what got him benched in favor of Caleb Williams last fall, the Gamecocks may be a legitimate darkhorse in SEC East.
Beyond Rattler, South Carolina inked four-star passer Tanner Bailey and high-three-star Braden Davis. Bailey was a surprise addition to USC’s 2022 class after he decommitted from Oregon in the wake of head coach Mario Cristobal’s move to Miami.
Davis, meanwhile, has been committed to South Carolina since April and is already on campus as an early enrollee. His father, Antone Davis, was the No. 8 pick in the 1991 NFL Draft and a former All-American at Tennessee.
South Carolina was forced to start four different quarterbacks in 2021 (Brown, Noland, Luke Doty and Dakereon Joyner). Assuming Rattler flashes a return to form, Doty recovers from foot surgery and Bailey and Davis develop as needed in Year 1, South Carolina should be in as good a shape as anyone at quarterback.
Running back
OUT: Kevin Harris (NFL Draft), ZaQuandre White (NFL Draft)
IN: Christian Beal-Smith (Wake Forest), Lovasea Carroll (Georgia), Dante Miller (Columbia/preferred walk-on)
South Carolina loses its top two rushers from the 2021 roster, but the team might be even deeper at tailback this coming fall.
Kevin Harris and ZaQuandre White both decided to forgo their remaining eligibility to enter the NFL Draft. MarShawn Lloyd and Juju McDowell are likely to receive more carries, while Georgia native Rashad Amos is also back.
South Carolina has hit running back as hard as any position in the portal. Wake Forest import Christian Beal-Smith led the Demon Deacons in rushing each of the last two years — including in 2020 alongside eventual Heisman candidate Kenneth Walker III.
Lovasea Carroll, too, enters the fold after one season playing defensive back at Georgia. Carroll was initially committed to South Carolina in high school but eventually signed with the 2021 national champs. He’s got ideal size at 6-foot-1, 195 pounds and could evolve into an every-down back.
Columbia transfer Dante Miller gives South Carolina added insurance at the position and could play a role on special teams. He led the Ivy League in rushing last year and helped the Lions to a 7-3 record.
Wide receiver/tight end
OUT: Nick Muse (graduation), Randrecous Davis (medically retired), Keveon Mullins (transferred to Jackson State), OrTre Smith (transferred to N.C. Central), Ger-Cari Caldwell (transfer)
IN: Antwane Wells Jr. (James Madison), Austin Stogner (Oklahoma), Landon Samson (3-star recruit), Kylic Horton (3-star recruit), Zavier Short (3-star recruit)
South Carolina’s offense was a mess in 2021. Adding Rattler was a key piece in elevating the unit. The next step was adding playmakers.
Antwane Wells Jr. comes to USC as one of the more coveted receiver transfers this cycle. Wells set JMU single-season records in catches (83), yards receiving (1,250) and receiving touchdowns (15). He’s been compared to former LSU star and current Cincinnati Bengals standout Ja’Marr Chase by teammates. If he’s anywhere near that good, South Carolina is going to be dangerous.
Oklahoma transfer Austin Stogner should be the other name here that makes an immediate impact. Stogner is a former four-star recruit and No. 3 tight end in the 2019 class, per the 247Sports Composite. He finished 2020 as a second team All-Big 12 selection, but missed two games due to a serious infection in his leg.
Stogner never quite got back to his pre-injury form in 2021, but he has legitimate NFL upside and could evolve into a significant weapon with Nick Muse departed and Jaheim Bell expected to play a mix of tight end and receiver.
Safety
OUT: Jaylan Foster (graduation), Jahmar Brown (transfer)
IN: Devonni Reed (Central Michigan), Keenan Nelson Jr. (four-star recruit), Anthony Rose (three-star recruit), Peyton Williams (three-star recruit), Emory Floyd (three-star recruit), Kajuan Banks (three-star recruit), Nick Emmanwori (three-star recruit)
South Carolina was deathly thin in the secondary in 2021. That won’t be the case next fall.
Losing All-American Jaylan Foster is a blow to a defense that was ahead of schedule in Clayton White’s first season as defensive coordinator. That said, Devonni Reed comes to USC from Central Michigan, where he recorded more than 200 tackles during his career. It’s expected Reed will slide into the spot vacated by Foster.
South Carolina also returns super-senior R.J. Roderick and former Washington State transfer Tyrese Ross, who never quite cracked the lineup in 2021 but has some upside on the back end.
Beamer and his staff went heavy on safety prospects in the 2022 class, though it’s unclear how many may play a significant role in 2022. However, this group should be far deeper than it was a season ago.
Defensive end/edge rusher
OUT: Kingsley “JJ” Enagbare (NFL Draft), Aaron Sterling (graduation)
IN: Terrell Dawkins (N.C. State), Donovan Westmoreland (three-star recruit), Bryan Thomas Jr. (three-star recruit)
If there’s one major question mark heading toward the spring, it’s how well the Gamecocks can mitigate the losses of Kingsley “JJ” Enagbare and Aaron Sterling.
Enagbare and Sterling were forces for USC as edge rushers. Both are off to the NFL.
Former five-star recruit Jordan Burch and Georgia State transfer Jordan Strachan are the most likely candidates to replace Enagbare and Sterling. Burch hasn’t quite had the impact his recruiting profile might’ve suggested, but he’ll be given every opportunity to shine. Strachan was considered a potential draft risk, but he decided to come back for a second season in Columbia.
N.C. State transfer Terrell Dawkins is already on campus and should give USC an extra body to rotate alongside Burch and Strachan.
Donovan Westmoreland — who flipped from Georgia to South Carolina — played linebacker in high school but could end up as an edge rusher. Bryan Thomas Jr. is the son of a former first round NFL Draft pick and has a projectable frame at 6-foot-3 and 225 pounds, though he may need some time to develop.
