Special teams gets better as South Carolina football adds another 5-star

Some college football teams and coaches don't seem to care much about special teams. That is not the case for the South Carolina football program under Shane Beamer. Like his father, legendary Virginia Tech Hokies coach Frank Beamer, the Gamecock headman places a heavy emphasis on the third phase of the game.

In addition to playing key players on special teams and throwing in the fan-favorite trick plays (like defensive linemen getting the ball put in their hands or punters tossing touchdowns to longsnappers), Beamer and his coaching staff offer scholarships to special team-only players like kickers, punters, and longsnappers.

While the practice of offering scholarships to specialists is becoming a little more common in the modern era of the sport, South Carolina football is one of the few programs in the country that seems to want to make sure they always have scholarship players at those specialist spots.

Last weekend, 5-star kicker (and 4 1/2-star punter) Max Kelley announced he was accepting a scholarship offer from the Gamecocks by revealing a commitment to the program. On Saturday, he was joined in the 2025 recruiting class by another special teamer as longsnapper Kyler Farrow announced his own pledge to the South Carolina football program.

Farrow, a Wisconsin native who attends Arrowhead High School, was offered by the Gamecock coaching staff earlier this week and didn't wait long to pull the trigger on committing. He is rated as the #4 longsnapper in the country and a 5-star prospect by Kohl's Kicking.

Current Gamecock longsnapper Hunter Rogers has been an All-SEC performer and is considered one of the top snappers in college football. He is an athletic player (as evidenced by his touchdown catch against Notre Dame in the 2022 Gator Bowl), and he is a good coverage player on punts.

Farrow fits a similar mold. As a high school tight end, he has more size (6'3" and 220 pounds) and athleticism than most longsnappers. New South Carolina football special teams coordinator Joe DeCamillis likely has his snapper of the future in Farrow.