South Carolina football: ranking the incoming transfers
By Jacob Elsey
Ranking South Carolina football’s new transfers.
The South Carolina football team welcomes in 11 new players from the transfer portal this offseason, with three prospects hailing from the JUCO ranks, three being former FCS contributors, and five coming in from Division I programs. Most are expected to see immediate action, particularly those on the defensive side of the ball, as the team looks to fill in the voids left from last year’s departures.
There are certainly headliners, with players like Ahmarean Brown and Jordan Strachan posting big numbers at their previous stops, but there are also unknowns. We’ve done our best to rank the newcomers based on both anticipated production and positional need. See which players will begin to make a name for themselves in a South Carolina uniform this Fall.
No. 1 – Ahmarean Brown
Brown is the most proven transfer at the wideout position, which is a huge area of concern for the Gamecocks in the 2021 season. Last year’s top producer Shi Smith is off to the NFL, leaving a group of inexperienced pass catchers in the rotation. Outside of Smith last season, no Carolina receiver tallied more than 115 yards.
That’s where Brown comes in, as he makes the short trip from Georgia Tech’s program following two seasons of production. As a freshman, he hauled in seven touchdown catches on 21 total receptions. The speedster should filter right into the starting rotation, and the Gamecocks can certainly use his big play abilities on the outside. In 19 total games, he’s recorded a career average of 18.1 yards per catch.
Brown will hopefully be the replacement for Shi Smith on the South Carolina offense. He should add to his 579 career receiving yards and nine scores next season.