Where things stand with South Carolina's transfer portal class

South Carolina head coach Shane Beamer has made his thoughts on the transfer portal clear: you’re either with us or you’re not. There’s no in-between.

There’s nothing wrong with how he feels. South Carolina has seen 11 players enter the portal, some of whom asked Beamer if they could still play in the Gator Bowl. To that, Beamer responded with a simple “No”.

“I wish everyone well, but I don’t want somebody down here that’s already spending half their time thinking about where their next stop is,” he said.

Instead, Beamer and his staff have focused on bringing in new talent to surround the program with. They’ve done that so far, landing five players. Here’s a look at who will be joining the Gamecocks next season.

Nick Elksnis — tight end

South Carolina lost a lot of talent at tight end after the conclusion of the regular season. Jaheim Bell transferred to Florida State while Austin Stogner returned to Oklahoma, where he played for three seasons. The need to bring in some new blood was apparent.

Redshirt freshman Nick Elksnis became one of the first players to join the Gamecocks after the portal opened. He announced his decision on Dec. 18.

Elksnis played two seasons with the Florida Gators. He appeared in eight games but didn’t record any statistics. At most, he found a role on special teams last season.

The 6-foot-6, 243-pounder played high school football at Episcopal (Florida), where he was a four-star prospect. He was the No. 390 overall recruit in the class of 2021, according to On3.

Elksnis originally took an unofficial visit to South Carolina, even taking in the team’s first bowl practice last month. He also received interest from Oklahoma, where he was set to visit after his time in Columbia. The Sooners had recruited him when Beamer was on the coaching staff.

“I really liked him as a tight end when I was coaching at Oklahoma,” Beamer said. “He’s very well thought of by a lot of people. He’ll bring us some athleticism and size.”

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But something changed in Elksnis’ mind.

“Before I even got in the truck to drive home, I knew this is where I wanted to go,” he told GamecockCentral. “I was like an hour outside of Columbia and called Coach Beamer and told him I was committing. We drove back up the next day, because my dad had never been here before. It was me, my mom, and my dad.”

Mario Anderson — running back

Just like the tight ends room, the Gamecocks lost some of their running backs. Marshawn Lloyd, the team’s leading rusher last season, entered the transfer portal and hasn’t made his decision yet.

South Carolina also lost seniors Christian Beal-Smith and Dante “Turbo” Miller as well as Rashad Amos to the portal.

Luckily, the Gamecocks didn’t have to look very far to find their replacement. Mario Anderson, who played three seasons at Newberry, committed on Dec. 18.

The 5-foot-9, 210-pound running back had a tremendous last season with the Wolves, running for 1,560 yards and 19 touchdowns. He helped them win the South Atlantic Conference Championship and went on to be named a Division II All-American.

Anderson might not be a recognizable name when compared to FBS running backs. But that’s what enticed South Carolina to find a potential diamond in the rough.

“He’s a Division II All-American and some people say, ‘Well, that’s not the SEC.’ Well, you know what? We took Carlins Platel from Assumption College and people were probably like, ‘What are you taking a guy from Assumption College for?’ Well, he’s still playing with the Pittsburgh Steelers. That’s why,” Beamer said.

Anderson also is a local kid from Summerville. It’s a dream come true for him.

“I kind of broke down crying. I didn’t want to show it in front of coach or anything, but I got to the car and got emotional,” Anderson told GamecockCentral. “It really does mean a lot. They welcomed me with open arms, down to the nutritionist.”

Heading into next season, he’ll have a chance to fight for playing time right away at South Carolina. Juju McDowell shapes up to be the Gamecocks’ main returning back but after that, it’s a wide-open race.

Nick Gargiulo — offensive line

Whether or not Spencer Rattler decides to stay at South Carolina next season, there will be a need for blocking up front. The Gamecocks are losing a number of starters and backups on the offensive line.

They’ll be bringing in some talented linemen from their 2023 signing class but it’s never a bad thing to add a veteran to anchor the ship. That’s how senior Nick Gargiulo will fit in. He committed to the program on Dec. 18.

Gargiulo joins with plenty of experience. He made 14 starts at left tackle and 10 at center with the Yale Bulldogs. He started his college career as a left tackle and moved to center last season, leading to him being named Yale’s team captain.

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“I didn’t realize this, but at Yale, on sports teams, you don’t have multiple captains — You have one,” Beamer said. “It’s the one guy that has the most votes and he is the captain of the Yale football team forever and that was Nick, which is pretty awesome.”

With Gargiulo as the team leader, the Bulldogs won the Ivy League championship in 2022. They also led the conference in rushing, total offense and scoring offense.

Gargiulo looks to be the heir to Eric Douglas, who manned the center spot for the last three seasons.

Trey Knox — tight end

After former Arkansas tight ends coach Dowell Loggains joined as the new offensive coordinator, one of his players followed. Senior Trey Knox committed to South Carolina on Dec. 20.

Knox stands at 6-foot-5, 245 pounds. In 2022, he caught 26 passes for 295 yards and five touchdowns. The Razorbacks lined him up as an inline tight end on 64 percent of his snaps last season. He’s a fine run blocker with a 72.7 rating, according to Pro Football Focus. He also lined up in the slot and wide less than a third of the time, but his frame could give him a chance to be matched up on the outside.

He committed to Arkansas as a wide receiver but transitioned into a tight end in 2021. It also was his idea to make the switch, which made Razorbacks head coach Sam Pittman’s job easier.

“I think that’s certainly his best opportunity to play in the NFL,” Pittman told reporters when Knox was still on the team. “I mean, he goes from an average wide receiver speed to a fast tight end. … He has great hands — I’m talking about in the blocking. Anytime you’re thin or not too heavy, in order to have success, you have to be good with your hands.”

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Joshua Simon — tight end

The Gamecocks continued to stack up at tight end with the addition of redshirt sophomore Joshua Simon. He committed to South Carolina on Dec. 28.

There’s a lot to like about Simon, who spent four years at Western Kentucky. In 2022, he caught 20 passes for 273 yards and seven touchdowns. He totaled 16 touchdowns over his career with the Hilltoppers, which is a school record for a tight end.

He’s also a South Carolina native, playing at Crestwood High School. He never received an offer from the Gamecocks out of high school, though.

Now, after a productive career at Western Kentucky, Simon is excited to return home.

“The atmosphere, the things they’ve got going on that Coach Beamer is doing with the team right now. If you’ve seen it, you’ve seen it. After they beat Clemson and Tennessee, you could kind of see what’s going on down there,” Simon told GamecockCentral. “Just to come down and be a part of that, to come back home to play football, it’s something I want to be a part of.”

Simon, who should be able to attend spring practice with South Carolina, will have two years of eligibility remaining.

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