The first transfer portal has been open since the beginning of December, and the closing date is quickly approaching. The portal will officially close to new portal entries on December 28, but that is not the final time players can enter the portal. Another window will open in the spring, and if a team goes through any coaching changes, those players have 30 days to make a decision.
South Carolina has both benefitted and been hit by the portal, but the hits seem to be winning right now. Between the portal and players declaring for the NFL Draft, South Carolina desperately needs some help from transfers.
The Gamecocks are taking care of business on the defensive side of the ball right now bringing in three young defenders that could do big things for the Gamecocks to fill the holes left behind by Kyle Kennard, Demetrius Knight Jr., and many others.
However, on the offensive side of the ball, Beamer needs to hit the portal, and he needs to do it fast. The Gamecocks have lost a total of seven pass catchers to the transfer portal, three tight ends, and four wide receivers. South Carolina also got hit with the news of star running back Raheim Sanders declaring for the NFL Draft, which means the Gamecocks are now in the market for a new running back.
So, with a little over two weeks left till the transfer portal closes, here are the three biggest needs for South Carolina.
1. Tight end
South Carolina has lost three tight ends to the transfer portal and lost their highest-producing tight end, who also led the Gamecocks in receiving yards, Joshua Simon, to the NFL. Losing Connor Cox to the likes of Bill Belichick and others to the transfer portal did not help with the depth of the position.
Currently, the tight ends that South Carolina has are Brady Hunt, Moe Brown, Michael Smith, and third freshman Mike Tyler. Beamer did recently bring in Kentucky transfer Jordan Dingle, which will help, but with how much quarterback LaNorris Sellers relied on his tight ends this season, they need a pass catcher he can rely on, and Dingle has yet to show that in his college career.
2. Running back
With Sanders leaving for the NFL, South Carolina doesn't have a true No. 1 back that can take the pressure off of Sellers in their run game. The next leading rushers after Sanders this season were Sellers and Robby Ashford, two quarterbacks. The next running back on the rushing stat sheet is Oscar Adaway III, who has already spent five years in the college ranks and could potentially be moving on as well.
There have been some talks of Alabama transfer Justice Haynes joining the Gamecocks as he made his official visit on December 20th. Haynes finished his sophomore campaign with 448 rushing yards and seven touchdowns on the season, as well as 99 receiving yards.
The loss of Sanders is a big hit to the Gamecock offense, so whoever they bring in has to be able to be a workhorse on the ground, but also a solid blocker in the backfield to help give extra protection for Sellers.
3. Wide receiver
South Carolina is fortunate to be retaining two of their top wide receivers from this past season, like Nyck Harbor, Jared Brown, Mazeo Bennet Jr., and a few others. However, none of those guys led the Gamecocks in receiving this season, as tight end Simon did, and Sanders was second after that.
The Gamecocks have a lot of talent at the wide receiver position but don't have that standout wideout just yet, and that is what Beamer needs to be looking for in the portal. Former NC State wide receiver KC Concepcion took a visit to the Gamecocks and could be that for South Carolina.