Shane Beamer confirms senior receiver no longer on South Carolina football roster

On Thursday night, South Carolina football fans tuned into the first "Carolina Calls" show with Shane Beamer of the 2024 season. During the radio broadcast, Beamer shared with Todd Ellis and Gamecock Nation a few updates on his team.

Offensive linemen Aaryn Parks and Jakai Moore are out with injuries and could be out for "a while," according to Beamer. A few other players have minor ailments but should be ready to go for next weekend's season opener.

An additional player won't be playing when Old Dominion comes to town. After a few days of rumors, Shane Beamer confirmed on Thursday night that wide receiver Ahmari Huggins-Bruce was no longer with the team.

Huggins-Bruce, who is a Palmetto State native, spent the first three years of his college career with the Louisville Cardinals where he was a part-time starter. He transferred to his home-state team this offseason with hopes of becoming a major contributor to a receiver unit that had tons of question marks. Things didn't materialize that way for Huggins-Bruce as he quickly fell behind other receivers in the rotation and seemed to be out of the two-deep during fall practice.

According to the University of Louisville's student directory, Huggins-Bruce has re-enrolled at Louisville. He has not re-joined the football team yet but is expected to do so.

For the Gamecocks, the loss of Huggins-Bruce likely doesn't alter wide receivers coach Mike Furrey's plans much. As a depth piece that would have gotten most of his snaps in the slot, the short-lived Gamecock will cede his playing time to other slot-oriented pass-catchers like freshman Mazeo Bennett, sophomore Tyshawn Russell, and fellow veteran transfers Gage Larvadain and Jared Brown.

Huggins-Bruce was one of five wide receiver transfers (and seven total scholarship newcomers) who joined the South Carolina football program this offseason. With just one year of eligibility remaining, his scholarship spot could be filled by a walk-on this season or saved for an additional roster spot after the 2024 campaign ends.

Beamer and the Gamecocks have just 9 days left before they kick off their season against the Old Dominion Monarchs in Williams-Brice Stadium. The season opener will begin at 4:15 PM ET and will be broadcast on the SEC Network and streamed on the ESPN app.