For South Carolina football, no position has faced as much turnover in the last year as the tight end group. A unit that was manned by players like Jaheim Bell, Austin Stogner, Nate Adkins, and Trae Kenion lost all four players (Bell and Stogner to the transfer portal, Adkins to the NFL, and Kenion to retirement).
The room was flipped in just one offseason, however, as tight ends coach Jody Wright and offensive coordinator Dowell Loggains brought in Trey Knox (Arkansas), Josh Simon (Western Kentucky), and Nick Elksnis (Florida) from the transfer portal and Connor Cox, Reid Mikeska, Kamron Sandlin, Maurice Brown, and Lukas Vozeh from the high school ranks.
The next two offseasons should bring more turnover as Knox and Simon will be gone, and a freshman or two from the class of 2023 likely will hit the portal.
The Gamecocks’ 2024 recruiting class has one commitment at tight end in 4-star prospect Michael Smith, and, on Monday, they got some good news from another 4-star tight end in the class of 2025.
Ethan Barbour, an elite prospect from Alpharetta, Georgia, announced his top-8 schools.
2025 4-star TE Ethan Barbour has narrowed his top schools down to eight‼️
— On3 Recruits (@On3Recruits) July 24, 2023
More from @JeremyO_Johnson: https://t.co/4Bk7Jd52Ub pic.twitter.com/tpCk3YzNTb
South Carolina, Florida State, Alabama, Georgia, Southern Cal, Ohio State, Auburn, and Texas made the list for the talented junior.
Barbour is ranked in the top-12 for tight ends by all four major recruiting services (On3, 247Sports, ESPN, and Rivals) and is rated as highly as the 2nd-best tight end in the class (ESPN).
As a player, Barbour is the type of tight end that resembles a big wide receiver. In fact, many of his snaps in high school have come split out wide or in the slot. His film is reminiscent of former South Carolina football playmaker Jaheim Bell.
Barbour is a plus-athlete who can run by most high school defenders and has the size and “go-get-it” ability to come down most balls thrown up for grabs, as well. He is strong, so he is capable of winning as a blocker, but that particular skill will need some development at the next level.
You can watch some of his film here.