Ever since the 2023 season ended, South Carolina football fans have been bombarded with news from the transfer portal: rumors about potential transfers out of the program, players actually entering the portal, and campus visitors all started very quickly, and then commitments started pouring in for the Gamecocks.
So far, the Gamecocks have added 11 scholarship players on offense from the portal as they've gotten commitments from Robby Ashford (quarterback, Auburn), Rocket Sanders (running back, Arkansas), Oscar Adaway (running back, North Texas), Jawarn Howell (running back, South Carolina State), Jared Brown (wide receiver, Coastal Carolina), Gage Larvadain (wide receiver, Miami (OH)), Ahmari Huggins-Bruce (wide receiver, Louisville), Brady Hunt (tight end, Ball State), Torricelli Simpkins (offensive lineman, North Carolina Central), Aaryn Parks (offensive lineman, Oklahoma), and Kamaar Bell (offensive lineman, Florida Atlantic).
On defense, 8 scholarship players are transferring in as Deandre Jules (defensive tackle, Pittsburgh), Jerome Simmons (defensive tackle, Highland Communtity College), Markell Goodwine (defensive tackle, Alabama), Gilber Edmond (defensive end/EDGE, Florida State), Kyle Kennard (defensive end/EDGE, Georgia Tech), Bangally Kamara (linebacker, Pittsburgh), Demetrius Knight (linebacker, Charlotte), and Gerald Kilgore (defensive back, Tennessee Tech) are the newest Gamecocks.
A handful of players are walking on to the South Carolina football team, as well, most notably Davis Beville (quarterback, Oklahoma) and Buddy Mack (defensive back, Pittsburgh).
For their efforts in the transfer portal, the Gamecocks are ranked 5th in the country according to On3. They are ranked 6th nationally by Rivals, and 247Sports placed the Gamecocks in the 7th spot. On3 ranks teams in light of what they lost and gained in the portal, while 247Sports and Rivals only rank based on incoming players.
Of all the teams taking at least 15 players, the Gamecocks have the 2nd-best average transfer portal player rating according to 247Sports' rankings, USC is ranked 3rd by the same metric in On3's rankings, and Rivals slots Carolina in at 8th in average player ranking.
If the transfer portal and recruiting rankings seem a bit confusing, the long and short of it is this: despite losing a few difference-makers to the portal, the South Carolina football team in 2024 is better now than it was when the 2023 season ended because of Shane Beamer and his staff working hard in the transfer portal.