In February, three South Carolina football players were suspended for their roles in an on-campus incident in which a firearm was improperly kept in a dorm room and, subsequently, hidden from law enforcement. The three freshmen who were suspended for the incident were former 4-star defensive back Anthony Rose, former 4-star defensive end Monteque Rhames, and former 3-star defensive back Cameron Upshaw.
News came out in April that Rose would be entering the transfer portal, signaling the end of his time as a member of the South Carolina football program. Rumors later circulated in early May that Rhames would likely be heading to junior college as the investigation into the incident and his suspension did not seem near a resolution. As of now, Rhames has not enrolled at another school.
On Monday, the third suspended freshman (Upshaw) had his future plans revealed via social media. Sylvester Hatten, Jr., a coach at Garden City Community College in Garden City, Kansas, tweeted out an image of Upshaw that read “signed” and had Upshaw’s name attached.
We’re not finished yet!!! ⭐️⭐️⭐️ #GardenCity pic.twitter.com/ciFeGOCjZc
— Coach Sylvester Hatten Jr. (@CoachHattenJr) May 22, 2023
Upshaw’s enrollment at Garden City signals the end of his suspension saga. Upshaw never officially announced that he was in the transfer portal prior to his signing with Garden City.
With Anthony Rose already in the transfer portal, Monteque Rhames is the only suspended player whose situation remains unresolved. However, because of the junior college rumors that surrounded Rhames earlier this month, it seems likely that the talented EDGE player will also go the JuCo route.
It is important to note that heading to junior college does not necessarily eliminate all chances of these players ever playing for the University of South Carolina football program. However, because their suspensions would remain unfinished, it would likely take significant time and movement in the legal cases against them for that option to ever be on the table.
Upshaw, though, believes he will return to the South Carolina football program. He told SportsTalk’s Phil Kornblut that he will use his time in junior college to get better on and off the field until “it’s time to go back in January.”