Jakai Moore returns for extra season of eligibility
South Carolina upperclassman offensive lineman Jakai Moore is on the official 2024 South Carolina roster that the school was updating in real-time on Friday and appears set to use his COVID year of eligibility to return for a sixth season in Columbia.
“Jakai is great,” Shane Beamer said Friday. “(He’s) here working out, looks great, doing well, and excited. Eager to get going.”
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The 6-foot-6, 318-pound Moore has appeared in 44 career games with South Carolina, making 28 starts, though injuries along the way have kept him from playing as much as he likely otherwise would have.
The versatile Moore has made 13 career starts at left tackle, seven at left guard, four at right guard and four at right tackle, and should be in the competition for a starting job on an offensive line that has gotten deeper this offseason.
GamecockCentral reported earlier on Friday that redshirt senior offensive lineman Trai Jones will not return to the South Carolina program and has decided to step away from the game of football citing a personal choice to retire from football.
Beamer was asked about Jones on Friday.
“Trai is working through some things right now,” Beamer said. “Started out workouts with us last week and is taking a little bit of time right now to figure out what’s next for him. Everything’s fine, it’s nothing concerning, he’s just thinking through some things about what the next step is for him in regard to his football career. Something that we’re working through right now but we’re in constant communication with him.”
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Jones emerged as a starter for South Carolina at left guard in Game 6 in 2023 and held that role for three straight games before an injury sidelined him for the rest of the season.
During his career in Columbia, Jones played in a total of 29 games with six starts as an offensive guard. In the 2021 season, he saw some action at fullback and notably caught a touchdown pass in a home win over Auburn.
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The Gamecocks signed three freshmen offensive linemen for the 2024 recruiting class: Blake Franks, Kam Pringle, and Josiah Thompson, with each of those players having enrolled earlier this month.
Shane Beamer’s program additionally is bringing in multiple players through the transfer portal to factor in on the front five: FAU’s Kamaar Bell, Oklahoma’s Aaryn Parks, and NC Central’s Torricelli Simpkins.
