South Carolina Football: Transfer portal target announces Gamecocks as finalists, decision date set

South Carolina football has been mining the transfer portal this offseason to find some instant impact help at some positions of need. Running back, defensive end/EDGE, linebacker, and cornerback seemed to be the most likely spots where Head Coach Shane Beamer would take a transfer player.

However, if a player was good enough at another position, the Gamecocks would certainly be open to hearing from them. This is the case with Maryland transfer defensive tackle Anthony “Tank” Booker. Booker is a 320-pound monster inside who would immediately be able to help against the run, especially in short-yardage situations.

On Friday, Booker announced both his top-5 and his decision date. On April 12th, the big man will be deciding between South Carolina, Purdue, Ohio State, Arkansas, and Texas A&M.

Booker is a grad transfer but has two seasons of eligibility left to play after redshirting as a freshman and utilizing the 2020 “Covid redshirt.”

If Booker were to pick the Gamecocks, he would ignite a bit of fire underneath the newfound rivalry that has developed between Maryland and South Carolina. The rivalry mostly exists between the two fanbases online, but recruiting and transfer battles in recent years have pitted the Terrapins and Gamecocks against each other a lot more than one might expect from schools so far apart and in different conferences.

Jaishawn Barham was deciding between the two schools and ended up at Maryland despite committing to the Gamecocks less than a week before Signing Day. Nyckoles Harbor, ‘Tosin “Big Tree” Babalade, Desmond Umeozulu, and Zahbari Sandy all chose the Gamecocks in the 2023 recruiting cycle despite being from the DMV (DC, Maryland, northeast Virginia) and Maryland fans’ belief that they would land them all.