South Carolina Gamecocks News: Cocky, football, NFL Draft, Sweet Sixteen, baseball, more
By Kevin Miller
Here is the South Carolina Gamecocks News from a loaded week, starting with the best mascot in college sports.
Cocky is the best mascot in college sports. South Carolina fans everywhere agree. Unfortunately, there are some who have not yet been enlightened to this reality. NFL.com released their top-10 college mascot, and, somehow, they left Cocky completely off the list.
The South Carolina football team began its second week of spring practice.
With early practices, no news is good news. So far no Gamecocks have suffered any serious injuries during practice. During the parts of practice where the media is allowed to watch, Dakereon Joyner still has been practicing with the running backs, and Nick Emmanwori has only repped with the safeties.
Coach Shane Beamer teased out another commitment with his second #WelcomeHome in three days.
One player, assumedly from the long list of weekend visitors, pledged to the Gamecocks over the weekend. An additional player made his intentions known to Coach Beamer and the staff on Tuesday. There has been no definitive news about the identities of these silent commitments.
Major in-state target Josiah Thompson has announced a date for his commitment.
Thompson, a consensus top-5 tackle in the 2024 class has chosen April 11th for his public decision. It is unclear if Thompson is one of the silent #WelcomeHome commitments.
News has come out from NFL Draft analysts that Cam Smith might be sticking around near Columbia after Draft Day.
Several reports surfaced this week that Smith was linked to the Atlanta Falcons and the Carolina Panthers. He would be the first Gamecock on the current Falcons roster if picked by Atlanta but would join Jaycee Horn, Hayden Hurst, and Shi Smith if he wound up with the Panthers.
Linebacker Stone Blanton had an announcement.
Blanton, who came to South Carolina on a football scholarship but with a goal of also playing baseball, is now only with the football team. After spending time with the baseball team during fall camp, all parties involved agreed that the football team should be Blanton’s focus.
Coach Beamer joined Barstool Sports’ “Bussin’ with the Boys” podcast for an interview that aired this week. Spencer Rattler and Juice Wells also did an interview for the show.
The Gamecocks’ head coach answered a variety of questions, ranging from the standard “how do you feel about this year’s team?” to “Which SEC coach do you want to fight?”
Rattler and Wells’ interview focused on their backstories and the confidence that they (and the team) have for the 2023 season.
Former Gamecock captain and defensive analyst Shaq Wilson took a job in the NFL.
Wilson will work as the Assistant Defensive Line Coach with the New York Jets, the same role he had with the Gamecocks. Wilson joins fellow former players Byron Jerideau and Devonte Holloman as off-the-field coaches who have left the program this offseason for different positions.
The women’s basketball team knows who they will play in Saturday’s Sweet Sixteen game in Greenville.
UCLA topped Oklahoma on Monday night, locking in a Sweet Sixteen contest against the Gamecocks. The game will be played at 2:00 and will be broadcast on ESPN and the ESPN App.
Dawn Staley won a national award and was selected as a finalist for another.
Coach Staley was chosen as the United States Basketball Writers Association Women’s National College Coach of the Year. She is a finalist for the Naismith Women’s National Coach of the Year, as well. This is Staley’s third time winning the USBWA Coach of the Year award, and it would be her third Naismith trophy, as well.
The men’s basketball team continues to be in transfer portal news.
Joining forwards Tre-Vaughn Minnot, Javon Benson, and Daniel Hankins-Sanford, guard Chico Carter has entered the transfer portal. Carter was the SEC’s most efficient 3-point shooter before a battle with tendonitis in his knee ended his season early.
Coach Lamont Paris and his staff are in on several players from the portal, as well. Wofford transfer big BJ Mack and Citadel transfer forward Stephen Clark are two prominent names among many transfer portal targets for the Gamecocks.
South Carolina baseball finally lost.
The mid-week loss at Charlotte snapped an 11-game winning streak that dated back to the Clemson series. The YardCocks will return home to play the Missouri Tigers in a weekend series starting on Friday.
After getting swept over the weekend by Mississippi State, the Gamecock softball team bounced back with a 10-run rule victory over Furman.
The now 24-7 Lady Gamecocks will not play again until taking on Clemson on the 28th.