Heading into year five of the Shane Beamer era, how many South Carolina players are left from the Will Muschamp days?

South Carolina football coach Shane Beamer just wrapped up his fourth season as head coach in Columbia. The Gamecock headman has set a new record for most wins through four years at USC (29) and has the program seemingly on the rise.

Before Beamer got to town, Will Muschamp led the Gamecocks for nearly five seasons. With the team’s loss to Illinois in the Citrus Bowl, several former Muschamp players exercised the last of their college eligibility. Players like O’Donnell Fortune, Hunter Rogers, Kai Kroeger, Alex Herrera, Gilber Edmond, Vershon Lee, TJ Sanders, Tonka Hemingway, and Boogie Huntley stayed through the coaching transition but played their final games last week.

Thanks to traditional redshirts, medical redshirts, and the “Covid redshirt,” there are still some players planning to wear garnet and black in 2025 who played for both Muschamp and Beamer.

While it feels like these guys have been around since the 1990s, they’ve only been in Columbia for four to five years. Let’s take a look at these veteran Gamecocks.

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Luke Doty

Viewed by many as one of the most dedicated Gamecocks ever, Luke Doty has seen a lot in Columbia. Doty plans to return to USC for a sixth season in 2025. He did not walk on Senior Day against Wofford and has stated his return plans publicly.

Originally part of the 2020 signing class, Doty was a 4-star quarterback recruit. He was part of a highly-decorated recruiting class that also included big names like Jordan Burch and MarShawn Lloyd.

His South Carolina football career has been a wild one. Though he began the year as a depth wide receiver, Doty became the starter at quarterback by the end of his true freshman season. However, a foot injury limited him early in 2021, and he re-injured the foot to end his season prematurely. Then, he redshirted in 2022 as the backup quarterback before converting to the part-time quarterback, part-time wide receiver, and part-time special teamer role that he has played the past two years.

During his one season with Will Muschamp (2020), Doty bounced between the quarterback and wide receiver rooms. However, after South Carolina fired Muschamp, Doty became QB1 late in the season. Interim head coach Mike Bobo played Doty after halftime of the Missouri game and started him against Georgia and Kentucky.

With a return next fall, Doty brings a lot to the table for the Gamecocks. He is a leader and good example to those around him. He also can do a little bit for the offense at any skill position if his number is called. He’s not above special teams participation, either. Though he isn’t expected to start anywhere on offense, he will provide some veteran depth at quarterback and receiver for a team that won’t have much of either in 2025.

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Jakai Moore

This one is a little less cut-and-dry. Jakai Moore has a chance to play in his seventh year of college football in 2025. However, the big offensive lineman has not made any public declarations about his future. Moore has had a long history of injuries and missed all of 2024 while hurt. He did not walk with the rest of the seniors on Senior Day, indicating a possible return in 2025, pending a medical redshirt waiver.

Way back in the class of 2019 (the same recruiting cycle that brought names to Columbia like Zacch Pickens, Ryan Hilinski, Cam Smith, Xavier Legette, and Kevin Harris), Moore signed with the South Carolina football program as a 4-star prospect out of the state of Virginia.

During his time in Columbia, Moore has started 28 games at four positions on the USC offensive line. He’s played everywhere but center and could bring tons of experience to the 2025 team.

Moore played two years under Coach Muschamp in 2019 and 2020. He started two late-season games in 2019 at right tackle but redshirted. In 2020, Moore started six games at the two tackle spots but saw some reserve action at guard.

If he decides to stick around the program for another year, Moore will compete for a spot in the two-deep at multiple positions up front.

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Bradley Dunn

Like, Jakai Moore, Bradley Dunn has a decision to make. The fifth-year senior walked on at USC in 2020 for Coach Muschamp’s final year. However, listed on the roster as a redshirt junior, Dunn did not walk with the seniors on Senior Day, potentially indicating one last ride with the Gamecocks in 2025.

Dunn signed with South Carolina as an unranked prospect in the class of 2020. He joined three of his Hammond School teammates (Boogie Huntley, Jordan Burch, and Fabian Goodman) in the class.

During his Gamecock career, Dunn has been a depth piece at both running back and fullback. Despite only playing in one game over his first three years with the team, Dunn stuck with it and picked up a special teams role in 2023. Coach Beamer rewarded him with a scholarship this fall and his first-ever touchdown, a 5-yard score against Wofford.

Dunn spent the 2020 season on the roster as a reserve running back/fullback for the Muschamp-led Gamecocks. He did not see any game action.

Like Moore, Dunn has not made any public statements about his future. However, if he returns in 2025, he likely will compete for a role on special teams like he had at the end of 2023.

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