South Carolina football: Jammie Robinson enters transfer portal
By Jacob Elsey
South Carolina football is losing another defensive back.
The Gamecock defense was hit hard with opt outs and transfers in the second half of the 2020 season, with Jaycee Horn, Israel Mukuamu, and RJ Roderick all opting out of the season following the firing of head coach Will Muschamp.
Ernest Jones and Shilo Sanders finished out the year, but they, too, have announced their intentions to move on from the program. Sanders plans to transfer, while Jones has his eyes set on the NFL.
Well, the Gamecocks learned Wednesday that a sixth defender, and a fifth member of the starting secondary, will no longer be with the team.
Sophomore safety Jammie Robinson intends to enter the transfer portal, and the South Carolina football team has released him from his scholarship. Robinson had been a starter in the defensive backfield each of the last two seasons.
As a freshman, he tallied 62 tackles, a pick, and a forced fumble on his way to All-SEC recognition. He followed up that performance by finishing second on the team in tackles this past season, racking up 74 takedowns over 10 games.
With the announcement, the Gamecocks have now lost every member of the season opening starting secondary, meaning depth and inexperience could be huge issues moving into 2021.
As it stands, the Gamecocks have just five defensive backs with in-game experience. When the departures of Horn and Mukuamu were announced last month, underclassmen John Dixon and Cam Smith received a significant bump in playing time. They will likely be the starting duo in Columbia when the 2021 season rolls around.
At safety, though, less is known as the program has now seen its third exit from a key contributor. Freshmen O’Donnell Fortune, Joey Hunter, and Dominick Hill could factor into larger roles, and junior Jaylin Dickerson will almost assuredly have a starting spot if he can stay healthy. Running back ZaQuandre White switched over to play safety for the team’s final three games. He may need to stay on defense in order to provide depth again next year.
Of those five options, only three saw the field in 2019, as Dickerson, White, and Fortune combined to make 29 tackles and intercept one pass. Senior Jaylan Foster could also return given the eligibility adjustments made for the COVID-influenced 2020 season.
Shane Beamer was able to land a transfer in the secondary during the early signing period, but he’ll certainly need more help moving forward. His recruiting plan will likely focus on the transfer market, and will now need to have a huge emphasis on defensive backs.
Robinson’s announcement is disappointing, as many Gamecocks believed he’d be back as a major contributor next season. The secondary has now gone from a perceived strength to the team’s weakest link in just one short month.