South Carolina Football: Gamecock offensive lineman entering transfer portal

South Carolina football fans find themselves a bit confused about what to think regarding some transfer portal news from Wednesday. Starting running back Mario Anderson had his name reported as a player that was going to enter the portal.

The news came seemingly out of nowhere, but the reports were confirmed by local media and national outlets.

However, not long after Anderson was reported as a likely transfer portal entrant, rumors began to swirl that he was open to returning to the South Carolina football program. Nothing has been finalized with the Gamecock starting running back as of Wednesday morning.

Perhaps missed in the whirlwind of coverage that surrounded the Mario Anderson news, it was also announced that offensive lineman Grayson Mains will be exiting the South Carolina football program. Mains announced his transfer plans just before the Anderson story came to life.

Mains was the backup center for the entire 2023 season, though, when Vershon Lee moved from the position to right tackle (and when he missed time with an injury), guard Nick Gargiulo moved over to the middle of the Gamecock offensive line. A redshirt freshman this past season, Mains did not see much game action for South Carolina.

Grayson Mains was with the South Carolina football program for two seasons and will have three years of eligibility remaining when he joins his new team.

Mains joins JonDarius Morgan as USC offensive linemen who have entered the transfer portal. If one counts defensive tackle Xzavier McLeod who was dismissed from the team midseason, Mains was the 15th Gamecock to enter the transfer portal this offseason.

Shane Beamer and his coaching staff are in the mix for several transfer portal targets, including multiple offensive linemen. The long-term future in the OL room is a little clearer, however, as the most talented players at the position will be freshmen and sophomores next season.

“The Great Wall of Columbia” will be made up of multiple young blue chip bricks, including 5-star Josiah Thompson, 4-star Kam Pringle, 4-star Blake Franks, 4-star Markee Anderson, 4-star Tree Babalade, 4-star Tro Baugh, 4-star Ryan Brubaker, and high-upside 3-stars Cason Henry and Jatavius Shivers.