How many starters could South Carolina realistically return for 2026?
In a bit of revisionist history, Shane Beamer admitted recently that his biggest concern heading into the 2025 season wasn’t South Carolina’s offensive line or skill guys or the schedule, or any of that.
“It was the amount of leadership that we lost off the ‘24 team that we had to replace,” Beamer said during a mid-December radio interview with 107.5 The Game. “I knew we were going to be good in 2024 because of the amount of leadership that we were bringing back off the 2023 team.”
Beamer went on to say that, in the wake of the Gamecocks going 4-8 with a young squad, it became quite clear to him that — at least, in the current climate of college football — “the older teams are the best teams.”
Certainly, the Gamecocks had plenty of older guys — heck, two of their running backs (Rahsul Faison and Oscar Adaway III) were 25 years old when the season finished.
But South Carolina lost more than half of its defensive starters and a number of key offensive pieces from the 2024 team. Replacing them proved too tough to overcome this season.
Which brings us to the 2026 squad and the thought: How many starters will South Carolina realistically return for next season?
There will likely be a few surprise departures when the transfer portal opens on Jan. 2, but here’s a look at the Gamecocks’ 2025 starters with a note on their status for 2026.
For position groups with a lot of rotation, it can be tricky to determine who should actually be considered a “starter.” We’re going to say those with the most starts at each position get the nod, with one injury exception.
South Carolina offense
Quarterback
— LaNorris Sellers // Said he’ll be back for his redshirt junior season in 2026.
Running back
— Rahsul Faison // Out of eligibility.
Wide receivers
— Nyck Habor // Has eligibility. Based on conversations with multiple sources around the program, it is expected Harbor will remain a Gamecock next season.
— Vandrevius Jacobs // Has eligibility.
— Brian Rowe Jr. // On the line of being considered a starter, but it’s been reported that he’ll enter the transfer portal.
Tight end
— Brady Hunt // Has eligibility. Said he’ll be back for a sixth season of college football.
Offensive line
— LT Josiah Thomspon // Has eligibility. Started 12 games as a sophomore last year.
— LG Shedrick Saratt Jr. // Has eligibility. Started nine games as a true freshman (six at LG and three RT) in 2025.
— Center Boaz Stanley // Has a year of eligibility. Wouldn’t be surprised if he ended up in the transfer portal.
— RG Trovon Baugh // Already announced he plans to enter the transfer portal.
— RT Cason Henry (injury exception) // Already announced he plans to enter the transfer portal. Started four games before suffering a season-ending injury against Missouri.
RETURNING STARTERS ON OFFENSE — 6
At least four 2025 starters are out of eligibility or have already announced they’re hitting the portal, and let’s assume one more enters the portal.
South Carolina defense
Defensive tackle
— Nick Barrett // Out of eligibility.
— Monkell Goodwine // Out of eligibility.
Edge
— Dylan Stewart // Has eligibility. Based on conversations with multiple sources close to Stewart, it’s expected he’ll remain a Gamecock next season ... but that was before reports that his position coach Sterling Lucas was taking a job at LSU.
— Bryan Thomas Jr. // Out of eligibility.
Linebacker
— Fred Johnson // Has eligibility.
— Justin Okoronkwo // Has eligibility.
Nickelback
— Jalon Kilgore // Declared for the NFL Draft.
Cornerback
— Judge Collier // Has eligibility.
— Brandon Cisse // Declared for the NFL Draft and is projected to be a late first-round selection.
Safety
— DQ Smith // Out of eligibility.
— Peyton Williams // Has eligibility.
RETURNING STARTERS — 5
It seems reasonable to think that the defense will return the five guys with eligibility, though it’s possible one enters the transfer portal. While this number looks bad, guys like DT Gabriel Brownlow-Dindy and safety Gerald Kilgore played a ton of snaps in 2025 and could easily transition to starters next year.
Special Teams
Kicker — William Joyce // Out of eligibility.
Punter — Mason Love // Has eligibility.
Long snapper — Cole Rasmussen // Out of eligibility
RETURNING STARTERS — 1
In 2026, for the third-straight year, the Gamecocks will have a new kicker. Expect both Love and soon-to-be redshirt freshman Max Kelley to battle for the starting job.
TOTAL RETURNING STARTERS (Projected) — 12 of 25
