Ranking the impact of South Carolina’s 2025 transfer portal additions
Of all the differences between the 2024 and 2025 South Carolina football team, few are as stark as the newcomers.
A year ago, it was portal-palooza. The Gamecocks’ best running back (Rocket Sanders) was a transfer. Its top two offensive linemen (Torricelli Simpkins and Kamaar Bell) were as well. The No. 1 pass rusher (Kyle Kennard) came from the portal. Same with USC’s top linebacker (Demetrius Knight).
Everywhere you looked, a portal acquisition was making plays for the Gamecocks.
Fast forward a bit. The 2024 season ends. USC signs 18 guys out of the transfer portal. And now, five games into the season, their impact has been, at best, quiet — especially compared with the portal class of last season. To dig into that, we put all 18 portal additions into tiers.
Above-average starters
- CB Brandon Cisse (NC State) — Arguably South Carolina’s best defensive player so far this season. Playing both cornerback and nickelback, he’s been elite in run defense and shown a great ability to blitz off the edge. He’s totaled 1.5 tackles for loss, an interception, three pass breakups and a forced fumble.
- LB Justin Okoronkwo (Alabama) — Might be the Gamecocks’ top linebacker through five games. On a defense that’s severely struggled to tackle, Okoronkwo has been a bright spot, rarely missing wrapping up. Also, by linebacker standards, he’s been impressive in coverage, even picking off a pass against Vanderbilt.
Have productive moments
- RB Rahsul Faison (Utah State) — He’s South Carolina’s leading rusher so far this season, but that isn’t saying much. He’s carried the ball 41 times for 171 yards (4 yards per carry) and three touchdowns. He’s been OK, but certainly has yet to live up to the offseason hype — exposure that only grew as his eligibility waiver remained up in the air.
- OL Rodney Newsom Jr. (Western Kentucky) — After struggling at left guard so bad against Virginia Tech that he was benched at halftime, Newsom moved to center midway through the Missouri game and started there against Kentucky. And, credit to him, he was much better. He’s allowed no sacks and just one QB hurry in the past two weeks, per Pro Football Focus (PFF).
- DT Gabriel Brownlow-Dindy (Texas A&M) — Despite battling injuries the past two weeks, Brownlow-Dindy has 13 tackles, a tackle for loss and a pair of quarterback hurries. Per PFF, he’s been the Gamecocks’ top interior pass rusher and also ranks as one of the best defenders against the run.
Trending down
- TE Jordan Dingle (Kentucky) — Against his former team on Saturday, Dingle was only in the game for five pass plays and didn’t have a target. That comes just two weeks after he caught three passes for 43 yards against Vanderbilt.
- OL Boaz Stanley (Troy) — Touted all offseason as the surefire starting center, he struggled mightily in the first three games. South Carolina moved him to right guard against Missouri, yielding even worse results. He did not play last week against Kentucky and has dropped down the depth chart.
- CB Myles Norwood (Ball State) — Norwood played a bunch early in the season while starter Judge Collier was out with an injury, but has played less the last two weeks. On the season, quarterbacks are completing 70% of their passes (11-16) when throwing at Norwood.
- LB Shawn Murphy (Florida State) — After starting in the opener against Virginia Tech, he’s been outplayed by Okoronkwo and lost his starting spot. While Murphy still plays a good amount (he logged 28 snaps against Kentucky), he is a distant No. 3 linebacker production-wise.
Don’t play much, if at all
- RB Isaiah Augustave (Colorado) — He’s either the Gamecocks’ fourth- or fifth-string running back. In any case, he’s carried the ball just two times this season. There’s probably a good chance he redshirts.
- QB Air Noland (Ohio State) — Though he’s QB3 for the Gamecocks, the former four-star prospect only saw action in the final drive of the blowout win over S.C. State.
- OL Nick Sharpe (Wake Forest) — After coming into the high with some expectations, it’s clear that Sharpe is way, way down the offensive line depth chart. Despite numerous O-line injuries, he’s only played 14 snaps this year — all against S.C. State.
- Edge Demon Clowney (Louisville) — Even with a number of preseason injuries to South Carolina’s edges, Clowney has played sparingly in three games.
- DL Davonte Miles (Bowling Green) — Miles has played in every game this season, but only gets in for short bursts. On the season, he’s taken 68 snaps and recorded just three tackles. But, it should be known: Miles recorded a sack and 1.5 TFLs against Kentucky.
- DL Troy Pikes (Georgia Southern) — In a similar boat as Miles, Pikes has played in every game — just not for long. He’s tallied four tackles in 84 snaps.
Injured
- OL Nolan Hay (Incarnate Word) — Hay was South Carolina’s starting center against Missouri, but was injured early in the game and hasn’t played since. Perhaps he’ll return against LSU.
- DL Jaylen Brown (Missouri) — The sophomore was expected to play a good amount in 2025 but has been injured since the summer. There’s no timetable for his return.
- Edge George Wilson (Campbell) — Another edge who was going to have a role in the Gamecocks’ pass rush, Wilson was injured in the middle of preseason practice. Coach Shane Beamer said at the time he’ll be out “for a while.”
Jordan Kaye
The State