The transfer portal can be a wild ride. Players now have the opportunity to change teams with almost no interference, and it has become common to see players leave one school to start a career with a team they played against the previous year. This is the position in which South Carolina football finds itself.
Multi-year starting offensive lineman Jaxon Hughes from Charlotte (formerly UNC-Charlotte) has committed to the Gamecocks. Hughes was the starting left tackle in 2022, including against the Gamecocks. He anchored an offensive line that set passing yardage records last fall and has experience at both tackle spots.
At 6’6″ and an athletic 295 pounds, Hughes is built like the prototypical left tackle. He was an edge rusher out of high school and converted to the offensive line as he added weight. He has up to two more years of eligibility after redshirting in 2019 and having the “Covid redshirt” in play for 2020.
Hughes is not the typical walk-on transfer as he was a very successful starter (and on scholarship) at his previous school, but he is confident in his ability to compete and earn a scholarship for the Gamecocks while adding depth to an offensive line unit that has lost its starting left tackle (the same position as Hughes) likely for the entire season with a knee injury.
Hughes is the second official preferred walk-on offensive lineman added by the Gamecocks this offseason. 2023 high school recruit Campbell Vandiver committed to the South Carolina football program last week. Another preferred walk-on transfer (the same status as Hughes) offensive lineman named Nigajuan Mansell is expected to commit after finalizing some things with his academics.
The walk-on commits come in the wake of two former Gamecock walk-ons hitting the transfer portal. Both Jackson Hall and Colin Henrich have elected to pursue opportunities elsewhere after not earning scholarships at the University of South Carolina.