South Carolina Football: Gamecocks add transfer portal commitment from big-time athlete at linebacker

South Carolina football coach Shane Beamer has been a busy man on social media lately. As he always does, Beamer has been dropping #WelcomeHome posts on his Twitter/X account whenever a player informs him of his intention to commit to the Gamecocks.

In the last few days, Carolina has landed four commitments from the transfer portal as wide receivers Ahmari Huggins-Bruce (Louisville) and Gage Larvadain (Miami (OH)), offensive lineman Torricelli Simpkins (North Carolina Central), and linebacker Demetrius Knight (Charlotte) all pledged themselves to playing in garnet and black next fall.

After those four announcements, Beamer revealed that a fifth commitment was imminent with another #WelcomeHome. On Saturday, the player behind the #WelcomeHome came forward.

Pittsburgh linebacker transfer Bangally Kamara, an athletic linebacker, revealed his commitment to play for the Carolina defense with a message on his personal Twitter/X account.

Kamara, like Knight, is a fast player who is transferring to the Gamecocks after starting in 2023. With just one more year of eligibility, Kamara will join Knight and returners Debo Williams and Bam Martin-Scott as the presumed top-4 at the linebacker position.

Kamara did not play much in 2020 or 2021 for the Panthers, but he started for Pat Narduzzi's team in 2022 and 2023. His athleticism is tantalizing as the Gamecocks are at their best when they have their linebackers involved in the pass rush. Kamara has shown some ability to get after the passer in his career, and his sideline-to-sideline speed will allow him to make up ground when his linebacker mate is assigned with a blitz.

Kamara is the third Pittsburgh Panther to commit to the Gamecocks out of the transfer portal. Big defensive tackle Deandre Jules signed in December and will compete for a starting role on the inside of the USC defensive front. Defensive back Buddy Mack is a South Carolina native who is coming home as a walk-on to help out with DB depth and special teams. And Kamara will compete for a starting linebacker role.