Have Gamecocks found right balance of high school football talent, transfers?
——This is part of a summer series. Leading up to the start of South Carolina’s 2025 season, The State is answering 25 of the most interesting questions surrounding the Gamecocks football team. This is No. 12 ——
There is no set answer to this, no magic number that every college program targets.
When it comes to high school recruiting versus building a roster through the transfer portal, South Carolina coach Shane Beamer has never alluded to a formula he goes by, no goal for how many guys he wants to add to his football team. What he has always admitted: The former takes precedence.
“We always want to start with the high school recruiting first and foremost,” Beamer said at the 2024 SEC Media Days event. “We’ll never deviate from that. We had a really good year, in my mind, from a high school recruiting standpoint.”
He’s not wrong. The talent of South Carolina’s 2024 high school recruiting class was immediately evident last season. Five-star Josiah Thompson started every game at left tackle. Mazeo Bennett was the Gamecocks’ top wide receiver. And Dylan Stewart turned himself into perhaps the top defensive player in college football.
If South Carolina’s foundation is high school recruiting, that’s pretty sturdy ground to stand on.
But let’s look at production.
Aided by Arkansas transfer tailback Rocket Sanders (881 yards), two-thirds of South Carolina’s rushing production in 2024 came from transfers. Over two-thirds (68%) of all Gamecock receiving yards last season were from transfers. Both of USC’s starting offensive guards — Torricelli Simpkins III (RG) and Kamaar Bell (LG) — were transfers.
The Gamecocks’ 2024 defense, though, was a different story. Only 35% of South Carolina’s tackles were made by transfers. Less than half of USC’s total tackles for loss (87) came from transfers. And even though Georgia Tech transfer Kyle Kennard led the Gamecocks with 11.5 sacks, less than half of USC’s total sacks were made by transfers.
It’s hard to see a definitive trend, aside from the fact that roster building is always in flux.
South Carolina lost a lot of offensive pieces from the 2023 team, so it relied more on transfers in 2024. It retained much of its defense from 2023 and, thus, only required supplemental help from portal players.
And, heck, that might flip this season with South Carolina losing seven defensive starters, and adding a half-dozen freshman receivers while taking none from the portal.
Beamer and his staff do not seem to be set on constructing their rosters from one bucket or another. Even at offensive line, where the Gamecocks have signed six four-star or better prospects in the last three classes, USC started a pair of transfers last season and could start up to three in 2025.
There are few patterns, which perhaps displays the flexibility South Carolina has in roster building.
Heading into the 2025 season, the numbers show the Gamecocks are still built with high school players but are not averse to loading up through the portal. Of the 85 known scholarship players, 55 signed with South Carolina out of high school, while 30 came to USC from the portal.
That number of transfers seems low considering the Gamecocks just last year added 22 guys from the portal. But a number of those — like Kennard, Sanders and linebacker Demetrius Knight — came to South Carolina with just a year of eligibility left. And a couple of others, such as QB Robby Ashford, transferred this offseason.
Turnover in college football is inevitable. Depth, wherever it comes from, is always needed.
25 QUESTIONS FOR THE 2025 SEASON:
No. 25 — What South Carolina positions have the most question marks heading into season?
No. 24 — A Gamecocks victory over Va. Tech would be biggest season-opening win since when?
No. 23 — How will South Carolina’s QB room shake out in 2025 and beyond?
No. 22 — If USC beat Bama or LSU in ’24, would national conversation be different right now?
No. 21 — Can the Gamecocks’ offensive line take a step forward in 2025?
No. 20 — What former South Carolina football player will get his jersey retired next?
No. 19 — Can South Carolina get to the LSU game undefeated?
No. 18 — Will Fred Johnson be South Carolina’s next great LB?
No. 17 — What’s the most important stretch in USC’s 2025 schedule?
No. 16 — Can South Carolina’s defense stay elite despite all its roster turnover?
No. 15 — What South Carolina school records could be broken in 2025?
No. 14 — What’s the ceiling for USC’s running backs, with or without Rahsul Faison?
No. 13 — Can South Carolina’s special teams get back to Beamer Ball standard?
No. 12 — Have Gamecocks found right balance of high school football talent, transfers?
No. 11 — How will Shane Beamer go viral this year with South Carolina?
No. 10 — Is South Carolina too young at wide receiver?
No. 9 — Is this South Carolina’s easiest schedule in the Shane Beamer era?
No. 8 — Will there be noticeable changes in Mike Shula’s offense at South Carolina?
No. 7 — Can South Carolina football stay relatively healthy again in 2025?
No. 6 — Is this the last year for Williams-Brice Stadium as we know it?
No. 5 — What does a path to the playoff look like for South Carolina?
No. 4 — What happens if South Carolina football is no longer an underdog?
No. 3 — How would a 10-win season in 2025 shape Shane Beamer’s legacy in Columbia?
No. 2 — Can Dylan Stewart have a better season than Jadeveon Clowney did in 2012?
No. 1 — Can LaNorris Sellers become the best QB in South Carolina history?
This story was originally published July 10, 2025 at 7:00 AM.
