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Three Pittsburgh defensive transfers reunite at South Carolina: ‘We wanted to do something different’

Griffin Goodwynby:Griffin Goodwyn•03/29/24
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Photo: Pittsburgh Athletics

DeAndre Jules said he was nervous in the early stages of the transfer portal process.

Jules had just finished his redshirt senior season at Pittsburgh, starting in all 12 of the team’s contests. He registered 24 tackles, 7.5 tackles for loss, two sacks and one forced fumble last season.

But it took him multiple days before he received his first offer from another program.

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“When I first got into the portal, it was kind of scary, not gonna lie,” Jules said. “First couple days, I wasn’t hearing from coaches. And then, that third day, my phone was blowing up with the help of people around me.”

One of the schools that came calling for Jules’ services was South Carolina. When Jules eventually took his first visit to Columbia, he saw what he could be a part of.

“I felt like this team has so much talent to take to the next step to, of course, the SEC Championship and the national championship. It just felt like a home environment,” Jules said. “I took a visit to Florida, and it felt very businesslike. It felt fake. The love wasn’t really there. And they didn’t have a defensive line coach, so this place really felt like the place to be.”

Fortunately for Jules, South Carolina’s “Southern hospitality” was not the only thing that provided a semblance of home. Two of Jules’ teammates from Pittsburgh – Bangally Kamara and Buddy Mack – would also commit to the Gamecocks after entering the transfer portal this offseason.

All three are hoping to use their pre-existing chemistry to help push the team to the next level.

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Kangally said that the connections between the three go beyond simply playing on the same defensive unit with the Panthers.

“It’s really cool to have two of my teammates be here because a lot of people don’t get to transfer with some of their teammates. It’s nice,” Kamara said. “Me and Buddy came in together. We were freshmen in the same class. Me and Jules, we played alongside each other last year. So we have a great connection.”

That connection and shared experience of being together in a new place has made their transition to Columbia a more seamless one, Jules said.

“It makes it a lot easier. And it makes it fun because you got guys you’ve been playing with for four, five years,” Jules said. “I can’t wait to go to war with them.”

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Jules, Kamara and Mack have also learned to pick up on each other’s tendencies, especially when one of them gets in a slump. As they continue adjusting to playing in a new city and system, not every practice session will be perfect.

Mack said continuing to support each other will benefit them all from a motivational standpoint. And he hopes that motivation carries over to the rest of the team.

“We know what all three of us can do, and I think we know each other’s’ triggers. If I ever see a day where Bangally or Jules is down, I know how to get them back to where they can play their best ball. And they feel the same way about me,” Mack said. “We can all push each other and push everyone else around us to make us all better as a defense.”

This fall will be the first college football season that Jules, Kamara or Mack have played at a school other than Pittsburgh. Kamara said the challenges that come with embracing the unknown is what will continue pushing them moving forward.

“That’s the connection for us is being able to challenge ourselves,” Kamara said. “We wanted to do something different, and this is that.”

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