South Carolina football: Shane Beamer introduces the new transfers

South Carolina football has signed five transfers this offseason.

Shane Beamer and the South Carolina football program brought in five transfers over the offseason as the team tried to bolster a recruiting class that lost a number of commits following the firing of Will Muschamp.

Those five transfers help the Gamecocks with depth at immediate positions of need, and should factor into the starting rotation as soon as the step foot on the football field in 2021. Each has enrolled for the spring semester at the university.

The newcomers are wide receiver Ahmarean Brown, defensive linemen Jahkeem Green and Jordan Strachan, linebacker Darryl “Debo” Williams, and cornerback David Spaulding. Here’s what Shane Beamer had to say about each in his Tuesday morning press conference.

Brown played for Georgia Tech each of the last two seasons. As a freshman, he recorded a team leading 21 catches, 396 yards, and seven touchdown receptions. Last year, he started seven games and tallied 11 catches for 183 yards. He’s a big play threat with a career average of more than 18 yards per catch.

The Gamecocks are in desperate need of pass catchers, particularly with leading receiver Shi Smith off to the NFL. Read Beamer’s comments below.

"“Really excited. Obviously transferred from Georgia Tech. You look at what he did at Georgia Tech. He broke a lot of Calvin Johnson’s freshman receiving records… He’ll help us immediately at the receiver position. Brings some speed and big play ability, which we definitely need out there on the perimeter.”"

Green nearly signed with the Gamecocks back in 2018 following a stint in Highland Community College, where he rose to become one of the top JUCO recruits in the country. He originally committed to South Carolina but chose to reopen his recruitment, and eventually signed with Nebraska.

In two years with the Cornhuskers, Green tallied four tackles over eight appearances, but never quite cracked the starting rotation. Prior to his arrival in Lincoln, he amassed 117 takedowns with the Highland Scotties. He is a former four-star prospect.

"“A local guy from Sumter that went to Nebraska but ended up coming back to us. We looked, and felt like we needed to add someone on the defensive line at the interior defensive line position… Had always really wanted to be at Carolina, but had to take a little detour. Excited about having him.”"

Williams committed to the University of Delaware in the class of 2020, but never played a down for the Blue Hens as the school postponed the football season to the spring. Williams was the top recruit in the state of Delaware, and was named Mr. Football following a productive senior year.

Williams notched a school record 153 tackles in 2019, 32 of which came behind the line of scrimmage. He also registered eight sacks, after missing most of his junior season with a knee injury. He’ll add immediate help to a linebacker room that’s losing its top tackler.

"“Debo, as we call him around here, he was somebody that MarShawn (Lloyd) brought to us… MarShawn came to myself and Coach Kitchings and said, ‘I know this guy from back home. Just take a look at his video.’ Watched his video, you turn it on, and it’s like, ‘Oh my gosh, how did he not get recruited from ACC, SEC, Big Ten?’ Really impressive video and productive high school career… When I told you guys last week that I walked in the weight room at like 5:45 a.m. and there were two guys in there already lifting waits, it was Debo and MarShawn… He’s all business and will help us at the linebacker position.”"

Spaulding comes to Columbia after a season at Georgia Southern. He appeared in eight games last year, tallying seven tackles, an interception, a pass breakup, and a touchdown. The Gamecocks lost five members of the secondary over the offseason, with Shiloh Sanders, John Dixon, and Jammie Robinson transferring, and Jaycee Horn and Israel Mukuamu opting to pursue professional careers.

Spaulding helps provide needed depth at possibly the thinnest position group on the team, and should see some early action in 2021. His best performance came in Georgia Southern’s regular season finale, where he registered four tackles and a pick, which he returned for a 28 yard score against Appalachian State.

"“He gives us some length at the defensive back position. Really impressive measurables when you look at his size and length… He’ll help us at another position of need where we’re thin on numbers in the secondary for different reasons.”"

Strachan comes to South Carolina after leading the nation in sacks last season. Over the 10 game season, the speedy pass rusher totaled 10.5 sacks for Shawn Elliott’s Georgia State defense. The former walk-on will provide a pass rushing presence to a South Carolina unit that ranked last in the SEC in sacks last season.

He’ll provide immediate depth at outside linebacker, and could be a player that lines up in many different positions on the field. Over his three-year career, he’s notched 78 tackles while playing his way into a scholarship offer. Last year, he was a third-team all-conference performer, and was a nominee for the Burlsworth trophy, given annually to the nation’s top most outstanding player that began his career as a walk-on.

"“What a story. Was a 185-pound senior in high school that walked on at Georgia State, then a few years later leads the entire nation in sacks… He went into the Portal, we jumped on him immediately… He and (Ahmarean Brown) have some familiarity with both being over in Atlanta at the same time. Two great young men who are going to help our locker room as well.”"