Which South Carolina football true freshmen will redshirt? Our projections
South Carolina has nearly hit the halfway point of the 2025 football season. Shane Beamer and the Gamecocks were 3-2 (1-2 SEC) as they entered an open week this weekend .
Since the Gamecocks have played five games, it’s officially time to keep an eye on which true freshmen could be candidates for a redshirt. As a general reminder: Players can’t play more than four games (not counting postseason play) if they want to save a year of eligibility and claim a redshirt season.
The State divided up South Carolina’s 29 true freshmen into four groups — redshirt already burned, trending toward burning redshirts, trending toward redshirts and redshirt locks — using the official NCAA participation stats and snap counts from Pro Football Focus.
Here’s what we came up with:
Redshirt already burned
Three Gamecocks have already played in more than four games this season and are no longer eligible for a redshirt. Here are some of their participation stats:
- WR Donovan Murph: Played in five games, started twice, 150 total snaps played
- WR Brian Rowe Jr: Played in five games, started twice, 138 total snaps played
- P/K Max Kelley: Played in five games, 20 total snaps played
Murph and Rowe have easily made the biggest impact of the six scholarship freshman receivers.
Murph, an Irmo product, is third on the team in total receiving yards and second in yards per reception. Rowe is third in receptions and fourth in total receiving yards.
The two freshmen have carved out a solid role in South Carolina’s receiving group behind Nyck Harbor and Vandrevius Jacobs. Both have also found some playing time on special teams.
Kelley has handled kickoff duties for South Carolina, so it makes sense he’s played in all five games.
Trending toward burning redshirts
South Carolina has five other true freshmen who will likely end the season without a redshirt.
These players have already played four games and will probably see some continued playing time in 2025.
- DB Jaquel Holman: Played in four games, 29 total snaps played
- DB Damarcus Leach: Played in four games, 55 total snaps played
- TE Mike Tyler: Played in four games, 29 total snaps played
- LB Donovan Darden: Played in three games, 16 total snaps played
- OL Shedrick Sarratt: Played in four games, started in four games, 225 total snaps played
The obvious candidate to burn his redshirt on this list of players is Sarratt, who missed South Carolina’s season opener with an injury. Sarratt has started on the offensive line the last four games and is on track to do that for the remainder of the year.
Holman, Leach and Tyler have each played in four games this year. If they play in another regular-season game, they’ll lose the chance to redshirt. Tyler and Holman’s playing time has come predominantly on special teams, while most of Leach’s snaps came early in the year on defense.
Darden has a little more wiggle room if South Carolina ultimately decides to redshirt him. The linebacker has played in three games this year, with most of his snaps coming on special teams.
Trending toward a redshirt
These players have seen sparse playing time this year and are prime candidates to be redshirted.
That being said, most still have plenty of wiggle room if South Carolina decides to not go the redshirt route with these nine players.
- WR Lex Cyrus: Played in one game, six total snaps played
- DB Kendall Daniels Jr: Played in two games, 23 total snaps played
- WR Jordan Gidron: Played in one game, two total snaps played
- WR Malik Clark: Played in one game, 14 total snaps played
- WR Jayden Sellers: Played in two games, five total snaps played
- Edge Jaquavious Dodd: Played in one game, 10 total snaps played
- LB AJ Holloway: Played in three games, nine total snaps played
- EDGE Anthony Addison: Played in two games, 15 total snaps
- OL Damola Ajidahun: Played in two games, nine total snaps played
Holloway has appeared in the most games out of this group (three) but lands here after not appearing in the last two games.
Daniels has played the most snaps of anyone in this group. His playing time was split almost evenly between the snaps he played on defense in the S.C. State game and the snaps on special teams against Kentucky. Daniels could play more, but that’s to be determined.
Sellers, Addison and Ajidahun all have played in two games with minimal action, making them redshirt candidates. The same goes for Gidron, Clark and Dodd, who has appeared in just one game this season.
Redshirt locks
All of these players have yet to make an appearance this season, so we’ll label them as locks to be redshirted.
- QB Cutter Woods
- LB Josh Smith
- LB Taeshawn Alston
- LS Kyler Farrow
- ATH Brandon Cunningham
- DB Chris Hatfield
- EDGE Kobby Skyi-Prah
- DB Cedric Cisse
- DB Tony Brown
- WR Jackson Repp
- DT Caleb Williams
- DL Christian Ingram
The lack of playing time could be due to several factors, whether they’re a walk-on (as Cunningham, Cisse, Brown and Repp are), they’re deep on the depth chart (like Woods is) or even an injury (like Skyi-Prah).
Conventional wisdom says these players probably won’t see enough playing time this season to burn their redshirt this year.
This story was originally published October 5, 2025 at 7:40 AM.
