Gamecocks get resourceful with PWO additions from portal
The South Carolina Gamecocks have gotten resourceful in using the transfer portal to add to their offensive line depth in the last two weeks, leaning on the addition of two preferred walk-on linemen who were starters elsewhere.
Charlotte transfer portal offensive tackle Jaxon Hughes and Mercer transfer portal guard Ni Mansell both announced pledges to the Gamecocks recently to join the 2023 roster as preferred walk-ons.
“In those guys, (you have) guys that have played a lot of football,” South Carolina football coach Shane Beamer said at a Welcome Home Tour Event. “They’re coming into a position that our depth is a little thin right now, for sure, so they’re coming into a situation where they can help us and they’re productive guys that have played meaningful snaps where they’re coming from.”
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Hughes, who originally was a defensive line prospect, was no doubt familiar with the South Carolina program.
The 6-foot-6, 295-pound, Greensboro, N.C. native started each of the last two seasons for Charlotte at left tackle, including when the 49ers played the Gamecocks at Williams-Brice Stadium last year.
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Mansell, a 6-foot-3, 270-pounder who graduated from Anderson, S.C.’s Westside High, has started at least 20 games for Mercer, according to an old bio from the school.
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Beamer did not rule out the possibility of Hughes or Mansell ultimately going on scholarship if they perform well.
“I think there’s a lot of guys that may be playing at a smaller level, a group of five or FCS that want to play up a level and put their name in the portal to see what happens,” Beamer said. “And I think it’s probably rare that somebody’s going to go from a scholarship football player to potentially walk on somewhere. But I think every situation is different, and I think with those guys, they saw an opportunity to, one, come in and earn a scholarship, but also to earn playing time because they’re good football players and we wouldn’t be trying to bring them in if they weren’t good players.”
The duo will hope to help fortify the depth on an offensive line that suffered a big blow when starting left tackle Jaylen Nichols injured his knee in the spring game. Nichols is expected to miss at least the beginning of the season.
