Spring transfer portal on South Carolina coaches' minds as spring game approaches
With all eyes in South Carolina focused on the college basketball transfer portal after the departure and addition of MiLaysia Fulwiley and Ta’Niya Latson, respectively, a new window quietly opens on the football side.
The spring transfer portal window opens Wednesday and runs through April 25. Before its opening, big names across college football made their intentions to transfer clear. South Carolina enters the window seeking depth on its defensive line but is looking for program fits over talent.
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The change in roster caps creates unknowns entering the spring, Shane Beamer said.
“Last year, we could have 120 players on our team. This year, if everything goes the way we think it’s going to go, we’re going to be down to 105,” Beamer explained. “So, you’ve got to start talking about your roster cap, and you just can’t be bringing in people.”
With South Carolina’s spring game on Friday, the spring portal window is something that can slip to the back burner. However, Mike Shula said the transfer portal has to be at the forefront of the coaches’ minds more than ever before.
“But I think we have people that are kind of taking the point on that,” Shula said. “We’ll just kind of follow their lead.”
However, it doesn’t mean that Shula isn’t focusing on the guys already here.
“We have our own guys we’ve got to focus on as offensive coaches and getting those guys better,” Shula said.
The Gamecocks didn’t bring in any receivers in the portal in the winter window. Mike Furrey said he didn’t want to take time away from the program’s six incoming freshmen’s development nor the returning receivers’ playing time.
“But at the same time, we didn’t want to miss on something maybe that a kid that wanted to be here in South Carolina, wanted to come here and help this football team win,” Furrey said.
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Defensively, the Gamecocks are entering Wednesday’s portal window set to lose two players in Emory Floyd and Wendell Gregory. Conversations with those players leading up to Wednesday have been minimal, Clayton White said
“I mean, they all have their agents and stuff like that, and their decision is already made a lot of the time,” White said. “If they come to you saying that’s what they’re thinking, it’s pretty much already done.”
However, the defense already added out of the portal Demon Clowney, cousin of former Gamecock great Jadaveon Clowney. Clowney committed to South Carolina on April 10 after two seasons at Charlotte. Clowney also spent three years at Ole Miss with limited action. He was able to sign with South Carolina before the portal opened due to the rule that graduates can transfer at any time.
Clowney’s addition helps add depth on the defensive line, specifically at EDGE. Depth on that front and at defensive tackle have been a worries of Beamer’s throughout the spring.
“I don’t feel great about the position right now,” Beamer said. “Not the talent in the room, but just the depth in the room.”
In any case, the players Beamer is looking to bring in have to fit the program mold.
“They’ve got to fit what we’re about on and off the field and truly make us better for us to want to pursue someone in the portal,” Beamer said.
