Transfer Tracker: keeping up with the comings and goings at South Carolina

Transfer portal silliness is in full swing, and it can be hard to keep track of the comings and goings for South Carolina. 

The Gamecocks will lose some players to the transfer portal and will be very active trying to bring in players from the all-mysterious portal.

Here’s your one-stop shop on who’s in and who’s out at South Carolina.

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Transfers in

Mario Anderson (Newberry)

Position: Running back

Years of eligibility left: 2

On3 consensus ratings: Not ranked

2022 stats: 10 games, 211 attempts, 1,560 yards, 19 touchdowns, 7.4 yards per attempt

The skinny: South Carolina has a track record of bringing in players from lower levels and getting good production: Juice Wells, Nate Adkins, Carlins Platel, etc. Anderson is hoping to be the next. He is coming off a prolific year with Newberry and should help fill a role offensively for South Carolina at a position of need.

Nick Elksnis (Florida)

Position: Tight end

Years of eligibility left: 3

On3 consensus ratings: Four-star, No. 390 nationally

2022 stats: Did not record an offensive stat in 2022

The skinny: Shane Beamer recruited Elksnis to Oklahoma before he ultimately started his career at Florida. He’s another upside guy, a former four-star prospect who struggled to see the field for the Gators. He has a chance to play, but also be an anchor on special teams.

Sidney Fugar (Western Illinois)

Position: Offensive tackle

Years of eligibility left: 3

On3 consensus ratings: Not ranked

2022 stats: 546 snaps, 56 PFF grade, 21 pressures allowed

The skinny: Fugar is a big body that had a quality year at a lower level that will certainly fill a position of need. Left tackle is still a question mark for the Gamecocks, who also have to replace Dylan Wonnum at right tackle. South Carolina has a track record with guys coming up a level, and Fugar has a chance to slide into a starting role in 2023.

Nick Gargiulo (Yale)

Position: Interior offensive line

Years of eligibility left: 1 or 2

On3 consensus ratings: Not ranked

2022 stats: 636 snaps, 72.5 overall PFF grade, 74.3 pass block, 70.9 run block grade, three pressures allowed

The skinny: Gargiulo played for Yale, where he was a team captain and an incredibly productive interior player. He fills a need for South Carolina, who is losing two interior players to graduation or the draft. Right now, it appears he’s slotted to start at center depending on the development of other players.

Trey Knox (Arkansas)

Position: Tight end

Years of eligibility left: 1

On3 consensus ratings: Four-star, No. 232 nationally

2022 stats: 26 catches, 296 yards, 5 touchdowns

The skinny: Knox has a ton of connections to the Gamecocks’ coaching staff, committing to Arkansas to play receiver for Justin Stepp and transitioning to tight end to be coached by Dowell Loggains. Another high-upside, athletic guy, Knox will do a few different things for South Carolina. He’s certainly a red zone threat and someone Loggains will be able to move around to different spots on the field.

Joshua Simon (Western Kentucky)

Position: Tight end

Years of eligibility left: 2

On3 consensus ratings: Three-star, No. 2,356 nationally

2022 stats: 20 catches, 273 yards, 6 touchdowns

The skinny: Easily the most seasoned skill position player South Carolina brought into the program as of right now. He’s played a ton of snaps, catching 86 passes for almost 1,200 yards with 15 career touchdowns. The South Carolina native is coming back home and should play a big role in the Gamecocks’ offense next season.

Jaron Willis (Ole Miss)

Position: Linebacker

Years of eligibility left: 4

On3 consensus ratings: Four-star, No. 209 nationally

2022 stats: No defensive stats (5 snaps)

The skinny: Willis is another fit for a position of need with all of his eligibility left and an incredibly high upside. South Carolina needs linebackers who athletically fit the bill. Willis certainly can be that. He didn’t play a ton at Ole Miss but someone who was a top-250 player in his class who can compete for snaps early. If he doesn’t play a ton defensively, he could make an impact on special teams.

Scholarship transfers out

Rashad Amos

Position: Running back

Years of eligibility remaining: 3

On3 consensus recruiting rankings: Three-star, No. 1,024 overall

2022 stats: 2 attempts, 7 yards

The skinny: Amos showed flashes early, averaging 6.0 yards per carry on 18 attempts as a freshman. Most of that came late in a forgotten season, and Amos could never tap back into that. He played in just 10 games the rest of his time at South Carolina, mostly on special teams.

Landing spot: Miami (Ohio)

Jaheim Bell

Position: Tight end

Years of eligibility left: 2

On3 consensus recruiting ratings: Four-star, No. 341 overall

2022 stats (snaps): 73 carries, 25 receptions, 492 scrimmage yards, 5 touchdowns (301 snaps)

The skinny: Arguably the biggest name from South Carolina in the transfer portal. Bell was frustratingly underused at times and never had the breakout, a potential first-round type of season this year. He bounced from position to position and never got in a groove anywhere. He’ll certainly be courted by Power 5 programs and South Carolina will have to find a way to replace his production.

Landing spot: Florida State

Jordan Burch

Position: EDGE

Years of eligibility remaining: 2

On3 consensus recruiting rating: Five-star, No. 11 overall

2022 stats: 60 tackles, 7.5 TFL, 3.5 sacks, 40 pressures

The skinny: Burch’s loss stings and will be hard to replace. He was a surefire starter next season, led the team with a whopping 40 pressures and was one of the better pass rushers in the SEC. He needed to improve in his run defense, but will be a highly coveted portal piece.

Landing spot: Oregon

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Jordan Davis

Position: Offensive line

Years of eligibility left: 3

On3 consensus recruiting ratings: Three-star, No. 1433 overall

2022 stats (snaps): Did not log any snaps

The skinny: Davis enrolled and never chiseled out a role on the Gamecocks’ offensive line behind some entrenched starters. He could have been a reserve next season, that was to be determined, and could be searching for more consistent playing time.

Landing spot: N/A

Gilber Edmond

Position: EDGE

Years of eligibility remaining: 2

On3 consensus recruiting rankings: Three-star, No. 1,353 overall

2022 stats: 39 tackles, 9 TFL, 2 sacks, 21 pressures

The skinny: One of the more frustrating portal defections, Edmond was finally coming into his own as a defender and departs. Edmond bided his time and waited his turn, taking full advantage of his opportunity after Jordan Strachan went down for the year. He was another player who would have been at minimum a rotational piece next season.

Landing spot: Florida State

Hot Rod Fitten

Position: EDGE

Years of eligibility remaining: 2

On3 consensus recruiting ratings: Three-star, No. 426 overall

2022 stats: No defensive stats recorded

The skinny: Fitten was the first commitment in the 2019 class and never really saw his chance on the field. He was a depth piece for most of his career.

Landing spot: N/A

Joey Hunter

Position: Defensive back

Years of eligibility left: 3

On3 consensus recruiting ratings: Three-star, No. 595 overall

2022 stats (snaps): No stats recorded (20 defensive snaps, 4 special teams snaps)

The skinny: Hunter played sparingly over his three seasons at South Carolina but never consistently. He logged more snaps as a freshman in 2020 but couldn’t carve out a role in the secondary the last two years. Injuries did hamper some of that, too.

Landing spot: Akron 

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MarShawn Lloyd

Position: Running back

Years of eligibility remaining: 2

On3 consensus recruiting rating: Four-star, No. 46 overall

2022 stats: 11 attempts, 573 yards, 5.2 yards per carry, 18 receptions, 176 yards, 11 total touchdowns

The skinny: South Carolina’s leading rusher, Lloyd seemed content with his standing in the program only for things to shift soon after the season. He was coming off the best season of his career. Losing a four-star caliber player finally knocking the rust off is a big loss.

Landing spot: Southern California

RJ Roderick

Position: Defensive back

Years of eligibility left: 1

On3 consensus recruiting ratings: Three-star, No. 1095 overall

2022 stats (snaps): 7 tackles (77 defensive snaps, 6 defensive snaps)

The skinny: Roderick was the first defection, entering before reaching the four-game redshirt threshold and opting to play his final season elsewhere. Roderick was injured early but Nick Emmanwori supplanted him as the starter once Roderick was healthy. 

Landing spot: Liberty

Tyrese Ross

Position: Defensive back

Years of eligibility left: 1

On3 consensus recruiting ratings: Three-star, No. 1316 overall

2022 stats (snaps): 8 tackles (52 defensive snaps, 14 special teams snaps)

The skinny: Ross was part of the first transfer class under Shane Beamer, a Jacksonville native who started his career at Washington State. He enrolled with the reputation as a thumper but never could chisel out a role in the secondary. 

Landing spot: N/A

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Corey Rucker

Position: Wide receiver

Years of eligibility remaining: 3

On3 consensus recruiting rankings: Three-star, No. 1,590 overall

2022 stats: One catch, 52 yards, touchdown

The skinny: Rucker came in from Arkansas State with some pomp, expected to play a ton as one of the Gamecocks’ impact receivers. But a foot injury sidelined him for nearly the entire season. He opted to enter the transfer portal and hasn’t found a home yet.

Landing spot: Arkansas State

Austin Stogner

Position: Tight end

Years of eligibility left: 1

On3 consensus recruiting ratings: Four-star, No. 143 overall

2022 stats (snaps): 20 receptions, 210 yards, 1 touchdown (507 offensive snaps, 23 special teams snaps)

The skinny: The first big surprise of the portal season, Stogner entered Monday and subsequently committed to Oklahoma, his original school that is closer to home. A ballyhooed portal pickup, Stogner was billed as a downfield threat and matchup nightmare. He certainly flashed, but was not necessarily consistent. He finished with 210 yards and Nate Adkins was logging more snaps at the in-line tight end spot by the end of the year.

Landing spot: Oklahoma

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