South Carolina Football: Gamecock offensive lineman enters transfer portal

South Carolina football has a very uncertain offensive line situation heading into the offseason.

The Gamecocks were really bad up front for most of the 2023 season. A first-year offensive line coach, an inordinate amount of injuries, poor overall play, and freshmen being forced into duty were all to blame for the disaster that was the USC offensive line.

There will be personnel changes within the offensive line room this offseason. Several older players could leave the program (either through retirement or the transfer portal), and the Gamecocks are likely to add a transfer portal addition or two to go with their highly-rated incoming freshman class.

One personnel change that seems to be confirmed comes in the form of a veteran leaving the program.

Third-year player JonDarius Morgan is entering the transfer portal, according to a report from Gamecock Central’s Chris Clark.

Morgan saw just limited action in his South Carolina football career. When he did play, it was as a reserve guard and a jumbo h-back in short-yardage situations.

The Birmingham, Alabama native was not highly recruited out of high school. The 3-star prospect had just five major offers, and the Gamecocks were the only SEC program to offer him a scholarship.

Morgan is the first offensive lineman to enter the transfer portal from the South Carolina football program, but he joins wide receivers Juice Wells, O’Mega Blake, Landon Samson, Zavier Short, and Kylic Horton, defensive linemen Felix Hixon, D’Andre Martin, and Donovan Westmoreland, quarterbacks Tanner Bailey and Colten Gauthier, defensive back KaJuan Banks, and kicker Mitch Jeter as players who have entered the portal or plan to enter the portal.

With the transfer portal now officially open, the Gamecocks have started offering underclassmen who have entered the transfer portal. USC had already sent out a batch of offers to graduate transfer players, and with the nature of the transfer portal, commitments should be rolling into the program over the next couple of weeks heading into the early signing period.