South Carolina offensive lineman stepping away from football
South Carolina will be losing one of its offensive linemen.
Senior Trai Jones will not be returning to the team and will be stepping away from football, he confirmed to The State on Friday. GamecockCentral was the first to report the news.
“Trai started out workouts with us last week and is taking a little time to figure out what’s next for him,” USC coach Shane Beamer told local reporters Friday. “Everything is fine. Nothing is concerning. He is thinking through some things to find out what’s next for him.”
The redshirt senior appeared in 29 games for the Gamecocks during his career and made six starts. Jones played in eight games, three starts at guard, last year before suffering an ankle injury against Texas A&M and missing the rest of the season.
Jones also spent time at fullback during his freshman season and caught a touchdown pass against Tennessee.
Jones was a standout on offense and defense at Abbeville High and part of the Panthers’ two state championship teams.
Jones is the fourth lineman the Gamecocks have lost from last season’s roster, joining JonDarius Morgan, Grayson Mains and Jaylen Nichols.
The Gamecocks are bringing in a large offensive line class from school signee and transfers. In-state products Blake Franks, Kam Pringle, and Josiah Thompson, have already enrolled. USC also added Florida Atlantic’s Kamaar Bell, Oklahoma’s Aaryn Parks, and North Carolina Central’s Torricelli Simpkins from the transfer portal.
This story was originally published January 19, 2024 at 2:57 PM.
