Video Breakdown: Former Vanderbilt WR Jayden McGowan commits to South Carolina
With how inexperienced South Carolina’s wide receiver is, adding experience from the transfer portal is simply a must this offseason. With Coastal Carolina transfer already Jared Brown on board, the Gamecocks have landed another commitment from a wide out who grew up right here in the Palmetto State.
Former Vanderbilt wide receiver Jayden McGowan has committed to the Gamecocks. A native of Laurens, SC, McGowan visited USC just days after entering the transfer portal. Standing at just 5-8, 181 pounds, he emerged as one of Vandy’s top wide receivers as well as an electric kickoff returner.
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In two seasons with a Commodores, McGowan hauled in 80 passes for 836 yards and three touchdowns. He also accumulated 160 yards on the ground and 845 yards as a kickoff returner, which included a 97-yards return for a touchdown in win against Hawai’i. The ability to not only be an impact wide receiver but a difference marker as a returner makes McGowan’s stock even higher. His 24 yards per kickoff return this past season ranked third in the SEC and 19th in FBS. The year prior, ironically, he also averaged 24 yards per kickoff return, which also ranked third best in the SEC and the 20th best in FBS. To compare that to what USC did in 2023, the Gamecocks ranked 107th in the country in kickoff return yards.
While McGowan still has two years of eligibility remaining, he brings plenty of experience. During those two years with Vandy he played in 24 games and started in 18 of them. That experience is desperately needed in a room where USC’s top two returning wides out are Luke Doty, who also plays quarterback, and Nyck Harbor. Doty and Harbor are South Carolina’s only returning wide outs who caught double digit passes in 2023.
