South Carolina Football: The transfer portal is opening; what positions do the Gamecocks need to hit hardest?
By Kevin Miller
South Carolina Football Transfer Portal Needs:
Wide Receiver
South Carolina football had a legitimate All-American candidate at wide receiver this season as Xavier Legette caught over 1250 yards worth of passes on the year. He ranked inside the top-10 nationally in yards and has a great chance to be taken in the first two rounds of the 2024 NFL Draft.
However, even with Legette’s emergence this season, the wide receiver group was a disappointment in 2023. Juice Wells missed most of the year with an injured foot (though, he says he’s coming back in 2024), Ahmarean Brown was in and out of the lineup with a hamstring issue, and no other receiver could provide any consistent production, including 5-star Nyck Harbor.
With Legette and Brown out of eligibility, it is unclear if Carolina has any wide receiver depth on the roster to go behind Juice Wells next fall. Harbor is still new to the wide receiver position, and he combined with O’Mega Blake, Luke Doty, and Tyshawn Russell to log only 565 yards as a group.
Some young talents (like Harbor, Blake, Russell, Landon Samson, and Elijah Caldwell) have the coaching staff intrigued about what they can become in the future, and incoming freshman Mazeo Bennett could be pressed into early duty next season, as well.
The receiving corps will have significantly more questions than answers entering next fall without adding some players through the transfer portal.
The Gamecocks desperately need to add a veteran player (or two) to wide receivers coach Justin Stepp’s room for next season. If Juice Wells can be back to his old self, and a young receiver or two can be consistent performers, a veteran transfer could be the missing piece the group needs to have a better showing in year 4 of the Shane Beamer era.