Jermaine Couisnard schedules two Big Ten visits

South Carolina transfer Jermaine Couisnard is starting to weigh his transfer portal options. He scheduled two visits to Big Ten schools this month, with more to come.

Couisnard is visiting Maryland this weekend and will head to Ohio State on Monday. He also scheduled a trip to Spokane to check out Gonzaga on April 28, according to CBS Sports’ Jon Rothstein.

Couisnard recently narrowed his list to seven schools, he told On3’s Joe Tipton earlier this week. Tipton also confirmed Couisnard was visiting Maryland and Ohio State. Oregon, Houston, DePaul, and UMass are also in his top seven. Transfers have up to five official visits to use, meaning Couisnard could take two more visits if he chooses.

UMass offered him a scholarship out of high school, but the Minutemen are under new leadership — and it’s a familiar face. Former South Carolina head coach Frank Martin is now the headman in Amherst, and that could be factor in his decision to put UMass in his top seven schools.

Couisnard played in 26 games this past season, including 16 starts. He averaged 12.6 points per game while also dishing out 3.2 assists per contest. Since entering the portal last month, he became one of On3’s Jamie Shaw’s top point guards on the open market.

His departure is a tough loss for incoming coach Lamont Paris, who’s taking over for Martin in Columbia. Couisnard had some big games this year, including a 33-point outburst in South Carolina’s 77-75 win over LSU on Feb. 19.

Out of high school, Couisnard had plenty of interest, including Illinois, Louisville and Virginia Tech. He also held on offer from UMass, which is reportedly gearing up to hire Martin to replace Matt McCall.

South Carolina is coming off an 18-13 overall record in 2021-22, including 9-9 in SEC action. The Gamecocks introduced Paris as their head coach earlier this month to replace Martin after 10 years with the program.