Which left tackle does USC football turn to after Josiah Thompson’s injury?
Can someone please burn some sage in South Carolina’s offensive line room?
Maybe new offensive line coach Randy Clements can huddle his group around a Ouija board and speak to whatever forces keep cursing the room. Or perhaps Clements could hire Columbia’s finest medium to perform a séance and ward off whatever keeps punishing the Gamecocks OL.
A few weeks ago, South Carolina OL Jacarrius Peak — an NC State transfer touted as a savior left tackle — suffered a knee injury ... while playing in a 3-on-3 basketball tournament.
South Carolina coach Shane Beamer said he expects Peak to be back in time for the 2026 season, but who knows how Peak’s recovery will progress and/or how effective he’ll be coming off the injury.
It was expected that, if Peak wasn’t able to play right away, Josiah Thompson would start at left tackle for the Gamecocks — and, well, there’s a reason we’re talking about sage and psychics.
On Tuesday, Beamer said Thompson — who’s started almost every game at left tackle the last two years — will miss the entire 2026 season after choosing to get surgery to fix a lingering issue.
Per a source, Thompson has been dealing with a non-MCL/ACL knee injury since late 2024. He was able to play last season, but his knee was much weaker, likely contributing to some of his struggles in 2025.
This would be a cause for concern at any program. At South Carolina, it feels almost cruel. After three-straight seasons giving up over 40 sacks, the Gamecocks cannot afford another subpar season from its offensive line.
The question now: Who will play tackle for the Gamecocks next season?
The Gamecocks’ options at tackle
Let’s be clear: If Peak is healthy, he will almost assuredly be the starting left tackle.
But outside of him, the Gamecocks could look to sophomore Shedrick Saratt Jr. — one of the few returning OL who started last season. While he spent most of the season at guard, Saratt played a few snaps at left tackle and started the final three games at right tackle.
Or perhaps another young player could step up. Though he struggled, redshirt freshman Damola Ajidahun took a few snaps at tackle last year. The Gamecocks are also bringing in three true freshmen who could compete for playing time at tackle: Anthony Baxter, Zyon Guiles and Darius Gray, a Top-50 prospect who will enroll this summer.
Beyond the freshmen, a number of the eight transfer offensive linemen who transferred to Carolina this offseason have experience at tackle.
There’s, of course, Peak. But New Mexico State transfer Armando Nieves started 10 games at right tackle last season. Ferris State transfer Dayne Arnett has starting experience as both a left and right tackle. Seth Smith was NAU’s starting left tackle for the past two seasons, which totaled almost 1,600 combined snaps.
Ebubedike Nnabugwu put up exceptional pass-blocking numbers as Missouri State’s left tackle in 2025. And while East Carolina transfer Emmanuel Poku started every game at right guard for the Pirates, he started six games at right tackle in 2024.
Even without Thompson (and potentially Peak) in 2026, South Carolina will have options at tackle. And now it has six months to evaluate the plethora of newcomers and find the best players to protect QB LaNorris Sellers come September.
