Gamecock transfer Eli Ellis staying in SC for next college stop
Eli Ellis is not leaving South Carolina to continue his college basketball career.
The former Gamecock guard is transferring to College of Charleston. He posted the news on his Instagram page. On3’s Joe Tipton was the first to report the news.
“I’m home. Let’s get to work,” Ellis wrote on his Instagram page.
The Moravian Prep and Overtime Elite alum is one of the most recognizable names in the country because of his huge social media presence. He has more than 2 million followers (including 1.4 million on TikTok) on his social media platforms, ranking him No. 5 in NCAA Division I, according to USA Today.
His father, Jeremy Ellis, told USA Today that his son could “retire now” from the money he has made from name, image and likeness.
Ellis also recently started his own podcast and runs his own training academy for his subscribers. Ellis’ social media presence earned an NIL deal with Under Armour, and he was featured in the “Let Them Talk” campaign commercial and works with Fashion Nova clothing company.
But Ellis took a step back from social media during his freshman year with the Gamecocks as he prepared for college basketball.
In his lone season at USC, Ellis averaged 8.6 points, 2.8 rebounds and 2.0 assists in 26.8 minutes per game off the bench this season. He backed up USC’s senior guard trio of Meechie Johnson, Mike Sharavjamts and Kobe Knox.
His best performance with USC was Nov. 9 against Southern Mississippi, where he put up 20 points, seven rebounds and two assists in an overtime win. Ellis was a four-star prospect out of high school, according to the 247Sports composite rankings. He held offers from Texas A&M, Ole Miss, Wake Forest and more before signing with the Gamecocks.
College of Charleston has a new coach in former Illinois and Ohio coach John Groce, who replaced Chris Mack after he left to take the University of South Florida job.
This story was originally published April 18, 2026 at 7:42 PM.
