South Carolina Football: Gamecock transfer portal target announces commitment

South Carolina football offensive line coach Lonnie Teasley had a few transfer portal offensive line targets on campus this past week.

On Thursday, Torricelli Simpkins announced that the was committing to the Gamecocks. The former North Carolina Central standout was an FCS All-American and the MEAC Offensive Lineman of the Year and will compete for a starting job on the Carolina offensive line, likely on the interior.

One of the other targets who visited this week was former Houston Cougar Reuben Unije. Unije hinted at a coming decision right after Simpkins' commitment, leading to speculation from South Carolina football fans as to whether the pledge from Simpkins was a help or a hurt to the Gamecocks' chances to landing the Houston defection.

As it turned out, Unije will not be a South Carolina Gamecock. With a simple message on Twitter/X, he announced a commitment to another program.

With only the word "TIMING" and a hashtag #GoCards, Reuben Unije announced that he would play his final year of college football with the Louisville Cardinals.

It is unclear if the Gamecocks are actively seeking to bring in another lineman through the portal, but a few other players, including in-state Furman's Pearson Toomey, have visited Columbia, as well.

Unije's commitment was not the only interaction that South Carolina and Louisville have had in the transfer portal this offseason.

Wide receiver Ahmari Huggins-Bruce, a South Carolina native, spent his first three years of college playing at Louisville before announcing a commitment to the Gamecocks via the transfer portal earlier this week. The Gamecocks and Cardinals also shared several transfer portal targets this cycle, as well, with some picking Carolina, some picking Louisville, and some picking other schools altogether.

From the high school ranks, the Gamecocks have signed two of the best offensive line recruiting classes in program history in the 2023 and 2024 cycles.