What Beamer said on Josiah Thompson’s portal reversal (and Michael Smith’s pitch)
Over the past few months, 19 South Carolina football players entered the transfer portal. One of those 19 will still be a Gamecock in 2026.
So why did USC coach Shane Beamer allow offensive lineman Josiah Thompson back on the team after he put his name in the portal? Well, for starters, Beamer wanted to be quite clear that Thompson wasn’t the only one seeking a quick reunion after looking for suitors in the transfer market.
On “more than one occasion,” Beamer said, a South Carolina player in the transfer portal reached out about a potential return. The Gamecocks head coach told them, “No.”
“Because of how they left, and maybe the reasons they left for,” Beamer said. “Josiah, I wouldn’t put in that boat. So, typically, no, I wouldn’t let him come back. But I do believe every situation is different.”
Thompson’s case goes like this: A former five-star prospect from Dillon in the Class of 2024, Thompson became one of the few true freshmen in America to start every game at left tackle. He did the same as a sophomore in 2025.
Now, he wasn’t exactly playing up to the five-star billing. In addition to South Carolina giving up an SEC regular-season-high 43 sacks last year, Pro Football focus pinned seven of those on Thompson and gave him a sub-par 46.6 pass-blocking grade. Yet, it would’ve been easy to cultivate optimism for Thompson’s future as a Gamecock, especially considering South Carolina hired a new OL coach in Randy Clements.
Thompson entered the portal anyway.
“I’ll be honest with you, I was completely blind-sided and shocked when he called me,” Beamer said of Thompson informing him of his decision. “We had a conversation and why, and (I) didn’t necessarily agree. But he chose that path to go.”
Beamer said he had moved on, even telling Thompson that his departure meant the Gamecocks were going to have to recruit — and pay — other offensive tackles to replace him. And, well, it seemed Thompson moved on, too. A week after he entered the portal, Thompson took a visit to Miami.
Not long after, Thompson reached out to Beamer about possibly coming back.
“Josiah and I both had some open and honest conversations and shot each other straight,” Beamer said. “In the end, he makes our team better and happy that he’s back here with us.”
So that’s the happy ending to a portal breakup story — guy leaves, realizes the grass isn’t greener and, because he handled everything right along the way, reunites with his former team. The alternate ending is what transpired with tight end Michael Smith, who quit the team in October to preserve his redshirt (he had only played in four games) and declared he would enter the transfer portal when it opened.
Fast-forward a few months. The portal opens, Smith hops in and commits to Syracuse. Not long after, it was reported that Smith was still exploring his options — which included a possible return to South Carolina. He texted Beamer and the two met, at which point Smith “expressed an interest in returning to South Carolina,” Beamer said.
“I’ll leave it at that,” Beamer said, “from what happened after that point.”
Eventually, likely because Beamer denied Smith’s request to rejoin the Gamecocks, he signed with Ole Miss.
This story was originally published February 5, 2026 at 7:00 AM.
