South Carolina grants scholarship to in-state walk-on linebacker

South Carolina football put walk-on linebacker Colin Bryant on scholarship on Wednesday. The Gamecocks announced the news on social media with a video from a team-building exercise in which USC players got to know their teammates. In the video, head coach Shane Beamer gave sophomore wide receiver Mazeo Bennett instructions to tell the team things he’d learned about Bryant and then to tell everyone that Bryant had earned a scholarship.
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You can watch the entire video below.
Bryant is a redshirt senior who graduated from Wando High School in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina. He first walked on at Alabama under head coach Nick Saban before transferring home to walk on with the Gamecocks. While in Tuscaloosa, Bryant was part of the 2021 SEC Championship Crimson Tide squad.
Though he hasn’t played much for the USC defense, Bryant has been a major special teams contributor for South Carolina. He recovered Kai Kroeger’s drop-kick onside kick against Alabama last season. College Football Network named him a 2nd team All-SEC Special Teamer in 2024. He’s also been an important practice player for the Gamecocks, earning multiple scout team awards for his efforts.
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Overall, Bryant has appeared in 21 games in garnet and black, including all 13 contests last year. The 6-2, 230-pound Palmetto State native logged six tackles during the 2024 season.
This year, Bryant will be one of a long list of players competing for a rotation spot in a linebacker room replacing four seniors from last year. Bangally Kamara redshirted and transferred midway through the year, and Debo Williams, Demetrius Knight, and Bam Martin-Scott graduated with NFL hopes. Bryant joins fellow former walk-on Ronnie Porter as a redshirt senior linebacker who joined the ranks of scholarship players in recent months.