South Carolina sends out offer to dynamic transfer portal linebacker
On Monday, the NCAA transfer portal officially opened. One of the early offers dispensed from the South Carolina football building was to linebacker Andrew Jones. The former Grambling State and Memphis defender was rumored to be headed to the NFL Draft but elected instead to find a new college home via the portal. He announced the offer from the Gamecocks on social media.
Originally a 4-star prospect (247Sports and ESPN) in the class of 2021, Jones did not have a steady role at either Memphis or Grambling State until this year when he burst onto the scene.
Jones, who is one of the top lower-level linebackers looking to move up a level this winter, will have plenty of suitors. However, the Gamecocks have a good story to tell the SWAC co-Defensive Player of the Year.
This fall, linebacker Demetrius Knight transferred from Charlotte to South Carolina and then moved himself firmly into NFL Draft territory. Fellow ‘backers Debo Williams and Bam Martin-Scott played very well, too, following some development at USC. The Gamecocks had one of the best linebacker rotations in the SEC this season. Carolina has done well with defensive transfers, too, as Knight, Williams, and Kyle Kennard (who just won the Nagurski Trophy as the top defensive player in college football) all played elite football after transferring.
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As a player, Jones is a downhill dynamo. He is athletic, has a great first step, and he is aggressive. Playing most of his snaps as a traditional linebacker, he still managed to accumulate over 20 tackles for loss. The Louisiana native finished the season in the top 10 among FCS players in the statistic. He also was in the top 10 in FCS in total tackles with 122 stops. Jones is a finalist for the Buck Buchanon Award, the top defensive honor at the FCS level.
Listed at 6’2″ and 220 pounds on his official Grambling bio, Jones isn’t overly big for a linebacker. However, he plays much bigger on film. He is a heavy hitter and also is very strong behind his pads when meeting ball carriers in the hole. That, combined with above-average speed for the position, makes him a dangerous player in the box.
A redshirt junior this fall, Jones will have one more year of collegiate eligibility. South Carolina has some promising young linebackers on the roster, but with several impact seniors moving on this offseason, finding an immediate-impact player like Jones will be critical for next year’s defensive success.
