South Carolina Football Transfer Portal defections on defense: Where are they now?

In 2021, the NCAA passed legislation allowing any player to utilize a “one-time free transfer” to change schools without penalty. The new wrinkle in the transfer portal was made available for all scholarship sports, and transfers increased exponentially as players no longer had to sit out a season after a transfer in most cases. South Carolina saw players enter and exit the program at a greater pace than ever before.

The transfer portal was created in 2018 to provide more transparency in the world of college athletics. In the few years leading up to the 2021 one-time free transfer legislation, many players who entered the portal were having their waiver requests for immediate eligibility passed, but the free transfer was not made official until 2021.

In the three offseasons since the transfer portal became what it is today, what has become of the Gamecocks who have left the program? *NOTE* This will start with the offseason after the 2020 football season as players who entered the portal that offseason were granted their immediate eligibility despite entering the portal prior to the official legislation’s passing.

South Carolina Football’s Defensive Transfer Portal Defections

Makius Scott

Position: Defensive Tackle
New School: Georgia Tech
Role at South Carolina: Depth defensive tackle
Role at New School: Rotational defensive tackle
What Happened Next: Scott became a rotational defensive tackle for the Yellow Jackets. He had his best game of the year in an upset over North Carolina.

Shilo Sanders

Position: Defensive Back
New School: Jackson State
Role at South Carolina: Rotational nickel/corner/safety
Role at New School: Starter at safety
What Happened Next: Sanders followed his dad Deion Sanders to Jackson State. A good player in their secondary, he has transferred once again as his father took the head coaching position at Colorado. He was an All-Conference player at Jackson State.

Jammie Robinson

Position: Safety
New School: Florida State
Role at South Carolina: Starter at safety; former starter at nickel
Role at New School: Starter at safety
What Happened Next: Robinson continued his strong play at Florida State. He became an All-ACC performer and is hoping to be drafted in the 2023 NFL Draft.

Johnny Dixon

Position: Cornerback
New School: Penn State
Role at South Carolina: Rotational corner
Role at New School: Starter at corner
What Happened Next: Dixon, who was in line to start at Carolina, became a starter at Penn State and was an All-Big 10 player last season. He has another year of eligibility.

Keir Thomas

Position: Defensive Lineman
New School: Florida State
Role at South Carolina: Starter at defensive end; former starter at defensive tackle
Role at New School: Starter at defensive end
What Happened Next: Thomas was an All-ACC end with the Seminoles in 2021 and played a role in 2022 on the Los Angeles Rams defense after going undrafted.

Joseph Anderson

Position: Defensive Lineman
New School: Purdue
Role at South Carolina: Depth defensive lineman
Role at New School: Depth defensive lineman
What Happened Next: After changing his name to “Joe,” Anderson has barely seen the field at Purdue.

Karon Prunty

Position: Cornerback
New School: North Carolina A&T
Role at South Carolina: Transfer starter at corner who never played because of personal issues that led to another transfer
Role at New School: Starter at corner
What Happened Next: After personal issues caused him to transfer away from South Carolina after just a month on campus, he had to sit out 2021. He was an All-Conference player for the Aggies in 2022.

Rosendo Louis

Position: Linebacker
New School: Bethune-Cookman
Role at South Carolina: Depth linebacker
Role at New School: Starter at linebacker
What Happened Next: Louis became a starter at Bethune-Cookman and has one year left to play.

Jahmar Brown

Position: Linebacker/Safety
New School: Coastal Carolina
Role at South Carolina: Rotational linebacker and safety
Role at New School: Rotational safety
What Happened Next: Brown transferred in-state to Coastal and became a rotational safety. He has another year to play for the Chants.

Dominick Hill

Position: Cornerback
New School: Temple
Role at South Carolina: Depth corner
Role at New School: Starter at corner
What Happened Next: Hill started at corner for Temple in 2022 and has another two years of eligibility.

Kolbe Fields

Position: Linebacker
New School: LSU
Role at South Carolina: Depth linebacker
Role at New School: Depth linebacker
What Happened Next: Fields did not play much for LSU outside of special teams. Still young, he has three more years of eligibility.

Devontae Davis

Position: Defensive Lineman
New School: Virginia
Role at South Carolina: Rotational defensive lineman who rarely played due to injury
Role at New School: Depth defensive tackle
What Happened Next: Davis got healthy but still couldn’t see the field for the Cavaliers. He is out of eligibility.

Jahkeem Green

Position: Defensive Tackle
New School: Florida Atlantic
Role at South Carolina: Depth defensive tackle
Role at New School: Rotational defensive tackle
What Happened Next: ‘Keem Green played a role for the Owls of Florida Atlantic but never lived up to his 4-star billing. He is out of eligibility.

Eric Shaw

Position: Tight End/Wide Receiver/Defensive End/Outside Linebacker
New School: Troy
Role at South Carolina: Depth/Experimental player all over
Role at New School: Depth linebacker
What Happened Next: After refusing to play on defense for the Gamecocks (his best position was EDGE), Shaw couldn’t crack the rotation on offense and transferred to Troy. He wanted to play wide receiver but was moved to the bandit (outside linebacker) spot. He has not accumulated any stats at Troy but has up to two more years of eligibility.

La’Dareyen Craig

Position: Defensive Back
New School: Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College
Role at South Carolina: Depth defensive back
Role at New School: Starter at cornerback
What Happened Next: Craig transferred down to the junior college level and ended up signing with South Alabama this offseason. He is expected to compete for a spot in the secondary for the Jaguars when he arrives on campus in Mobile.

RJ Roderick

Position: Safety
New School: Liberty
Role at South Carolina: Former starter at safety who lost job in 2022; former rotational linebacker
Role at New School: Expected to compete for starting job at safety
What Happened Next: Roderick entered the portal after losing his starting job due to injury. If healthy, he is expected to compete for a starting safety job for Liberty.

Joey Hunter

Position: Defensive Back
New School: Akron
Role at South Carolina: Depth defensive back
Role at New School: Expected rotational defensive back
What Happened Next: Hunter took a while to find a home from the transfer portal. Akron is expected to have Hunter compete for a rotational spot in the secondary.

Tyrese Ross

Position: Safety
New School: None
Role at South Carolina: Depth safety
Role at New School: N/A
What Happened Next: Ross has not landed with another football program.

Gilber Edmond

Position: EDGE
New School: Florida State
Role at South Carolina: Starter at defensive end; former rotational at linebacker
Role at New School: Expected rotational EDGE
What Happened Next: Edmond was the #3 EDGE player in the transfer portal and will compete for one of the top defensive end spots for the Seminoles.

Jordan Burch

Position: Defensive End
New School: Oregon
Role at South Carolina: Starter at defensive end
Role at New School: Expected starter at defensive end
What Happened Next: Burch was one of the biggest defensive names to change teams this offseason, and he is expected to be an impact player for the Ducks. He could play up to two more seasons.

Rodricus “Hot Rod” Fitten

Position: EDGE
New School: None
Role at South Carolina: Depth defensive end/linebacker
Role at New School: N/A
What Happened Next: Fitten has not surfaced at another school.