South Carolina lucked out in the transfer portal after the 2023 season, landing players such as EDGE rusher Kyle Kennard and running back Raheim "Rocket" Sanders. Kennard produced immensely for the Gamecocks on the defensive side of the ball with 11.5 sacks, 16 quarterback pressures, and three forced fumbles.
Sanders, in his first year with the Gamecocks after transferring from the Arkansas Razorbacks, had quite the comeback season with 881 rushing yards and 11 rushing touchdowns, as well as 316 receiving yards and two receiving touchdowns.
The Florida native had a breakout year in his second season at Arkansas with 1,443 rushing yards and ten touchdowns, averaging 6.5 yards per carry, and added 109 receiving yards and one receiving touchdown. However in 2023, Sanders had some unfortunate setbacks with injuries, that could have completely derailed his career, but he would not allow them to.
Due to those injuries and the way Sanders has broken out this season, the Senior running back has been named a winner of the 2024 Comeback Player of the Year Award alongside Utah State defensive back Ike Larsen and Louisville quarterback Tyler Shough.
In 2023, Sanders played in just six games, totaling 209 rushing yards and just two touchdowns. Sanders suffered a knee injury during the season and, after coming back from that, suffered a serious shoulder injury that required complex surgery to fix. The surgery required a bone graft and muscle/tendon transfer to repair chronic and severe shoulder dislocations.
The recovery process was long and created quite a struggle for Sanders, but he never gave up. Sanders chose to transfer to South Carolina in 2024, and even though he still struggled with a bit of injury, he persevered and became a big part of the Gamecock offense.
Sanders was able to take pressure off of quarterback LaNorris Sellers and even opened up other lanes for the mobile quarterback as defenses swarmed Sanders at times. Sanders had over 100 rushing yards and two touchdowns against Vanderbilt, Texas A&M, and LSU, and scored the game-winning touchdown against Missouri. He was third in rushing in the SEC, and his 11 touchdowns ranked him fifth among SEC running backs. He also led SEC running backs in receiving yards making him quite a threat in the passing game.
Sanders has yet to make a decision as to whether or not he will stick around South Carolina for another season or make his way to the NFL. Gamecock fans will support Sanders in whatever decision he makes and be happy they were able to get him for a year.