South Carolina football defender earning big-time money with strong start this fall

South Carolina football coach Shane Beamer and his staff brought a strong transfer portal class to Columbia this offseason. Several players, most famously, running back Rocket Sanders, have made big impacts so far during the 2024 season. However, another new Gamecock has been playing at a very high level and earning himself a lot of money in the process.

Defensive end Kyle Kennard transferred to the South Carolina football program after spending the first four years of his college life with the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets. Through three games with his new team, the fifth-year senior is on pace to break records.

After contests against Old Dominion, Kentucky, and LSU, Kennard has logged 7 tackles for loss, 5 sacks, and 3 forced fumbles. One-fourth of the way through the regular season, those numbers put him on a trajectory to beat Jadeveon Clowney's single-season sack record and shatter anyone's mark for forced fumbles in a season (Dylan Stewart also is on pace for that record). Even Clowney's 23 tackles for loss in 2012 could be in jeopardy if Kennard keeps up this level of play.

As one of the top EDGE players in the country this season, Kennard's NFL Draft stock is skyrocketing. Heading into the year, he was viewed as a potential NFL player, but he has erased any doubt with his pass rush dominance this fall. Thanks to his impressive numbers and a strong performance against future 1st round pick Will Campbell last weekend, Pro Football Network has named him one of their biggest draft risers, and an improved draft position will net Kennard a much bigger payday.

The NIL situation for Kennard is also putting money in his pocket.

According to On3's Pete Nakos, Kyle Kennard has the 4th-biggest NIL valuation increase since the start of the season. Based on On3's estimations, the 6'5" EDGE has moved from a valuation of about $450k to over $600k. Kennard also has been part of a couple of recent NIL-related ad campaigns, including one for Ticketmaster.

The next opportunity to continue pushing his draft stock and NIL valuation up will come on Saturday as the Gamecocks host the Akron Zip at Williams-Brice Stadium. Kickoff is slated for 7:30 PM ET, and the game will be broadcast on ESPNU and streamed on the ESPN app.