33 days until South Carolina football kickoff, a look at number 33 Buddy Mack

The South Carolina football season is 33 days away, and the Gamecocks' on-field success this season largely will depend on how its large class of transfers can fit in and contribute. Shane Beamer's team had some major holes on the roster, and the transfer portal allowed them to be filled.

No program in the country sent more players to Columbia than the Pittsburgh Panthers. Three players from last year's team and one who played at Pitt before transferring to Oklahoma are among the newest Gamecocks as quarterback Davis Beville, defensive tackle DeAndre Jules, linebacker Bangally Kamara, and defensive back Buddy Mack all transferred to the South Carolina football program this winter.

One of these Pitt defections will wear #33 this season. Buddy Mack, a Palmetto State native who played at Byrnes High School, spent four years with the Panthers before coming back home for his final year of college football.

Mack should not be expected to be a starter (he never started for Pittsburgh), but he is an experienced player who was a depth contributor for years under coach Pat Narduzzi (a coach who knows defense), and he was a major special teams player on coverage units. If things go really well for him, a spot in the two-deep on defense could be up for grabs.

So far, reports out of the program are that Mack was a solid player at practice this spring, and he will provide some solid depth at safety and nickel as a dependable tackler and a smart player. The former All-ACC Academic Team member was a 3-star prospect out of high school, and his grandfather played briefly in the NFL.

This fall, Mack likely will be part of special teams coordinator Joe DeCamillis' coverage units, and he will compete with veterans like David Spaulding, King-Demenian Ford, Peyton Williams, and Gerald Kilgore and youngsters Kelvin Hunter and David Bucey for a prominent reserve role behind safety/nickel trio Nick Emmanwori, DQ Smith, and Jalon Kilgore.

Buddy Mack and the Gamecocks will begin their season on August 31st against the Old Dominion Monarchs in a home game at Williams-Brice Stadium.