Shane Beamer's nightmare offseason continues with South Carolina starter out for the year

The South Carolina football offseason is going from bad to worse.

Shane Beamer announced today that starting offensive lineman Josiah Thompson will be out indefinitely and is likely to miss the upcoming 2026 season. Thompson has started at left tackle for the past two seasons with the Gamecocks, playing 24 of 25 games during that stretch. Beamer said the junior will undergo surgery.

"I don't anticipate Josiah being able to play this upcoming season," Beamer said during his pre-spring practice press conference. "[It's] is an injury that really goes back to a couple of years ago, a lower-body issue that he's been dealing with that we knew a couple of years ago that surgery was the most likely end result for him."

South Carolina opens spring practice tomorrow and the past few weeks have not been kind to Beamer. The Gamecocks will already be without offensive lineman Jacarrius Peak, a top transfer-portal acquisition from N.C. State. Peak injured his knee during a 3-on-3 basketball tournament, and it was originally feared to be season-ending as well. However, Beamer said that Peak will be ready for the start of the season, but will miss spring and be limited over the summer. 

Gamecocks likely lose starting OL Josiah Thompson for 2026

Beamer put a major emphasis on rebuilding the offensive line this offseason. When they signed Peak, it was expected that he would be on the right side to give quarterback LaNorris Sellers two bookend tackles he could rely on. The Gamecocks also signed Carter Miller from UCF, who is expected to start at center, and guard Emmanuel Poku, who played at East Carolina last year.

With Thompson out, South Carolina loses the a returning starter with tons of experience and his absence will trigger a spring battle to replace him. Seth Smith, a transfer from Northern Arizona, was listed as Thompson's backup, which should give him the inside track. Armando Nieves, who transferred in from New Mexico State, is a swing tackle who will also compete for snaps. 

Thompson was one of the top offensive tackles in the 2024 recruiting class and the blue-chip prospect from Dillon, South Carolina signed with the Gamecocks over offers from Alabama, Florida, Tennessee and a host of others in a major recruiting wn for Beamer.