The South Carolina football team has not been hit hard by transfer portal defections since the spring transfer portal window opened on April 15th. Suspended defensive back Anthony Rose and reserve offensive lineman Colin Henrich were the first two to put their names into the portal, and earlier on Wednesday, defensive lineman Demetrius Watson made public his decision to leave the program for a new opportunity.
According to On3’s Transfer Portal Tracker, on Wednesday afternoon, Braden Davis, a 4-star quarterback prospect from the class of 2022, announced that he would also be transferring.
South Carolina QB Braden Davis has entered the transfer portal, per @mzenitz https://t.co/pqiWZbuHQI pic.twitter.com/B7TrE9TwQa
— Transfer Portal (@TransferPortal_) April 26, 2023
Davis was a developmental prospect with NFL bloodlines; his father, Antone Davis, played at Tennessee before a seven-year career in the NFL as an offensive lineman. The younger Davis was a gifted athlete with a strong arm but needed some seasoning before being ready to play. It seems as if that seasoning and any future play will happen at a different school.
It was expected that at least one quarterback would leave the South Carolina football program this offseason and was somewhat surprising that it had not happened yet. With the return of Spencer Rattler, the Gamecocks had six scholarship quarterbacks on the roster (seven if you count Dakereon Joyner), and four of them have at least three years of eligibility remaining. That’s just too many to keep at one time with the scholarship limit of 85 in place. It remains to be seen if another signal caller elects to join Davis in the portal.
Davis redshirted the 2022 season and will have four more years to play at his new school.
The Gamecocks are also expected to add a few players through the portal. Running back and EDGE (especially hand-in-the-dirt defensive end) seem to be the most-needed spots to add a piece, but the Gamecocks have also considered players at linebacker, cornerback, wide receiver, and defensive tackle. With a still-unannounced injury to Jaylen Nichols that appeared serious, the Gamecocks might also be on the hunt for an offensive lineman.