On Saturday, starting left tackle Josiah Thompson announced via social media that he will enter the Transfer Portal, marking one of the more significant departures of the transfer cycle for the South Carolina Gamecocks Football program.
Thompson started at left tackle in each of the past two seasons and quickly became one of the cornerstones of the offensive line. The 6-foot-7, 300-pound Dillon, S.C. native earned freshman All-American honors in 2024 and was named Freshman All-SEC by the league’s coaches. A former five-star prospect and the No. 1 offensive tackle in the 2024 recruiting class according to On3, Thompson was viewed internally and externally as a long-term building block for the Gamecocks.
Shane Beamer: departures were expected after 4–8 season
It's no secret that the expectations and results did not align in 2025 for the Gamecocks, and head coach Shane Beamer isn’t pretending otherwise. Speaking with reporters on Friday, Beamer said the broader wave of offensive line departures didn’t come as a surprise. In fact, Beamer acknowledged that some of the exits may have been encouraged as part of a broader effort to reset the room.
“We knew we needed to get better,” Beamer said. “Look, it is what it is. When you go 4-8, I think we gave up (43) sacks, if I’m not mistaken, it’s hard to say that we played great up front. It is what it is.” It was a rare moment of blunt honesty, but also a revealing one. Beamer wasn’t dismissive of the players involved; he was clear-eyed about the product on the field. The results up front simply weren’t good enough.
Offensive line reset highlights scope of roster overhaul
Thompson is now the seventh scholarship offensive lineman from South Carolina to enter the portal this cycle, joining Nick Sharpe, Trovon Baugh, Cason Henry, Tree Babalade, R.J. Newsom, and Boaz Stanley.
Every one of those departing players started at least three games for South Carolina last season, led by Thompson (12 starts at left tackle), Baugh (11 starts at right guard), and Stanley (nine starts at center).
Gamecocks returning just two starting offensive linemen
South Carolina will return only two of the nine offensive linemen who made starts during the 2025 season including freshman Shed Sarratt Jr. (nine starts) and senior Nolan Hay (two starts).
The thin return count underscores how aggressively the staff is willing to reshape the offensive line. For Beamer and the Gamecocks, the focus isn’t on who left. It’s on building an offensive line capable of protecting the quarterback, controlling the line of scrimmage, and changing the trajectory of the program in 2026.