South Carolina football: ranking the incoming transfers
By Jacob Elsey
No. 6 – Marcellas Dial
Dial, who hails from Woodruff, SC, had to take the JUCO route prior to joining a Division I program. The defensive back played for Georgia Military College last year, and comes to Columbia as the nation’s seventh-best cornerback at the junior college level.
He, too, is looking to make an impact in a wide open secondary for the Gamecocks, and will have a chance at landing the CB 2 spot in the defensive backfield. Dial played as a freshman for the Bulldogs in 2019, recording five pass breakups, an interception, and a forced fumble. He committed to the South Carolina football team in March of last year, and was able to enroll early to get a head start on the Gamecocks’ new defensive scheme.
No. 7 – Isaiah Norris
Norris, a fellow Palmetto State native and the second half of that Georgia Military cornerback tandem, comes to Columbia with his teammate, Dial. Norris played for TL Hanna in Anderson throughout his high school career, before heading to junior college.
Norris is rated as the nation’s eighth-best JUCO cornerback prospect, but unlike Dial, he was unable to enroll early. He plans to get to campus over the Summer, but could be a bit behind the eight ball when it comes to snagging a starting spot.
If Norris can pick up the playbook early, though, he’s got the talent to make an immediate impact. The defender chose the Gamecocks over offers from Tennessee and Washington State back in late December, and should filter into the secondary rotation before season’s end.