South Carolina football: Keir Thomas enters transfer portal

South Carolina football took another blow on the defensive side of the ball.

South Carolina has lost nearly all of its starting defense from the 2020 season, as it’s seen six members of the secondary, as well as leading tackler Ernest Jones leave the program. The unit took another hit on Tuesday as fifth year senior Keir Thomas announced his plans to find a new home for his final season of eligibility.

Thomas was a member of Will Muschamp’s first recruiting class in Columbia, and started five seasons along the defensive line. He missed most of the 2019 season with an injury.

Over 46 games of action, the Florida native totaled 142 takedowns, 19.5 tackles for loss, 8.5 sacks, and three forced fumbles. He recorded a career high for sacks and tackles behind the line of scrimmage in 2020, despite playing in just seven games.

Thomas’s announcement is a huge blow to a Gamecock group looking for leadership and stability as they navigate through a coaching change. Thomas had been a vocal leader on and off the field, and was one of the more productive players on a young defensive line unit.

Though South Carolina has talented depth along the front four, much of that talent is unproven. Thomas was almost assured a starting spot at tackle had he not decided to enter the transfer portal. With Thomas gone, the Gamecocks will be forced to rely on youngsters Jordan Burch, Tonka Hemingway, Alex Huntley, and Zacch Pickens to man the line of scrimmage.

Thomas is not the last Gamecock defender with a decision to make. Seniors Aaron Sterling and Brad Johnson have yet to announce where they’ll spend the 2021 season. The case is the same for all-conference pass rusher JJ Enagbare, who could opt for the NFL draft.

One thing is for sure, the defense will have a fair share of new faces when the 2021 season rolls around.