As we reach the midway point of 2025, Gamecock Nation has already experienced a whirlwind of highs and lows across all of South Carolina's major sports. From championship quests on the court to rebuilding rosters on the field and diamond, there is plenty for fans to digest so far this year. Here is a comprehensive look at what has transpired so far in 2025 for the Gamecocks and what excitement lies ahead in the rest of the year.
Football: Offseason Changes and Building Hype
Gamecock football hasn't played a down yet in 2025, but the offseason has been anything but quiet. Head coach Shane Beamer shook up his staff at the very beginning of the year, promoting veteran assistant Mike Shule to offensive coordinator after former play-caller Dowell Loggains departed for a head coaching job at Appalachian State. Shula, a former Alabama and Tampa Bay Buccaneers football player, has brought a wealth of experience already. Fans hope he can ignite an offense that showed flashes of promise last season.
All eyes in Columbia are on quarterback LaNorris Sellers, who returns as the reigning SEC Freshman of the Year after a dynamic 2024 season. The dual-threat QB racked up 2,534 passing yards and 18 touchdowns, plus 674 rushing yards and seven scores as a redshirt freshman. Now a year older, Sellers is spending the offseason refining his skills and timing to pair with his elite athleticism. He has even landed in some early Heisman buzz conversations for 2025. Behind Sellers, freshman talents like Air Noland and Cutter Woods will be pushing veteran Luke Doty. The depth at quarterback is solid, but make no mistake, the Gamecock offense will go as far as Sellers can take it.
On the defense, new leaders are emerging this season. Sophomore edge rusher Dylan Stewart and junior defensive back Jalon Kilgore have already earned some national attention, with both named to the Lott IMPACT Trophy watch list for top defensive player in the country. With their own set of playmaking skills, they will anchor the defensive unit in 2025.
Looking towards the fall, the schedule for the Gamecocks is packed with marquee matchups. Kicking off the 2025 season on Labor Day Weekend, South Carolina will take the national stage in the Aflac Kickoff Game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. The home schedule doesn't get any easier, however, featuring SEC newcomer Oklahoma, who will make their first-ever visit to Columbia on October 18. Following that game, the Gamecocks will face the perennial powerhouse Alabama on October 25, followed by road games to Ole Miss (Nov. 1) and Texas A&M (Nov. 15), before coming home to face Coastal Carolina (Nov. 22) and Clemson in the Palmetto Bowl (Nov. 29).
After a strong campaign last season, there is a lot of buzz that South Carolina could have a breakout 2025 season, and Gamecock Nation will be counting down the days until kickoff in Atlanta.
Men's Basketball: Growing Pains and a Rebuild
The first half of 2025 was a rough ride for Lamont Paris and the men's basketball team, as the Gamecocks slogged through an SEC season full of growing pains. South Carolina finished the 2024-25 season 12-20 and dead last in the league. A mid-winter losing streak in SEC play underscored the team's struggles. At one point early in 2025, the Gamecocks were 0-8 in the SEC, the worst start in program history, prompting frustration among the fanbase.
Despite the disappointing record, the team showed sparks of competitiveness that provided some hope. The Gamecocks went toe-to-toe with several ranked teams, nearly upsetting several Top-25 opponents. In fact, South Carolina lost nail-biter games to five ranked opponents by a combined 17 points (including one-point and overtime heartbreakers). They led No. 5 Florida by 13 in the second half in January before faltering 70-69 and pushed No.14 Mississippi State to OT before falling 65-60. Those near misses, while agonizing, showed that the Gamecocks could hang with tough competition. They just lacked the depth and experience to finish the job.
Looking to the future, South Carolina is reloading, securing a top-20 recruiting class with some promising newcomers. Among them is guard Eli Ellis, a top-100 prospect with scoring and playmaking skills, plus local standout Hayden Assemian, a 6-foot-8 forward set to bolster the frontcourt. These freshmen, combined with returning talent, will create a core that can grow together. The expectation is to improve the depth and talent so the Gamecocks will be more equipped to close out those tight games next season. Come the fall, as practice tips off, keep an eye on the new faces as well as the renewed energy in the Colonial Life Arena.
Women's Basketball: Staley's Squad Reaches the Summit (almost)
For the powerhouse that is Dawn Staley's team, the first half of the year was a thrilling ride that nearly ended in a storybook finish. The Gamecocks continued their dominance in the SEC and made a deep run during March Madness. They ultimately finished as National Runner-Up with a 35-4 record. After cutting down the nets in 2024, South Carolina entered this past season as defending NCAA Champs, and they narrowly missed going back-to-back. Needless to say, they will be in it for redemption in 2026.
The Lady Gamecocks tore through conference play, going 15-1 to claim the regular season, followed by asserting their dominance by winning the SEC Championship over Texas. Staley has built a juggernaut program in Columbia, as they made their fifth straight Final Four appearance, and they entered the NCAA tourney as a No. 1 seed with every intention of defending their throne.
Looking ahead, the future is bright as ever. Even though star players like Te-Hina Paopao and other seniors have moved on, much of the core returns. And of course, Coach Staley has added more star power to the roster. Her recruiting classes never miss. Expect South Carolina to enter next season ranked at or near the top of the polls (they finished No. 2 in the final AP Poll), hungry to reclaim the crown.
Baseball: New Era Begins with Growing Pains
The 2025 Gamecock baseball season proved to be a rough reset for a legacy program. Year one under new head coach Paul Mainieri, the former LSU legend who was brought into rejuvenate South Carolina, delivered a harsh dose of reality. South Carolina finished 29-29 overall with a dismal 6-24 in SEC play. The 2025 season marked the worst conference record in school history, and fans have not been pleased. Mainieri himself admitted that he "underestimated the amount of talent around the league" in the SEC. The Gamecocks found themselves outmatched in many weekend series, and wins were hard to come by.
There were a few bright spots, but the season did not have the fairy-tale ending that most fans hoped for. In the SEC Tournament the Gamecocks were ousted immediately, falling to Florida 11-3. And with no NCAA Regional invite, Mainieri and his staff turned the page to the offseason earlier than they had hoped.
Looking ahead, the silver lining for Gamecock baseball is that Mainieri's arrival still represents a fresh start. Though fans are frustrated with his performance this season, recruiting and the transfer portal are critical in upgrading the talent back to SEC contention level. As Mainieri put it bluntly, the roster "needs to be revamped" if the Gamecocks want to compete in Omaha.
Softball: A Historic Spring
Perhaps the most uplifting Gamecocks sports story is the one coming from the softball diamond in Columbia. In her first season as head coach, Ashley Chastain Woodard engineered a remarkable turnaround in the sport. The Gamecocks went 44-17 overall, 13-11 in the SEC, earning a national Top-16 seed for the first time in modern history and advancing to the NCAA Super Regionals for the first time since 2018. And they accomplished all of this after being picked to finish dead-last in the SEC in preseason polls. So, it is no wonder that Coach Chastain Woodard was honored as the National Coach of the Year by D1 Softball for 2025.
Moving forward, the foundation for South Carolina softball appears to be rock solid. Coach Chastain Woodard has emphatically put her stamp on the program with the 44 wins being the most ever by a first-year Gamecock coach. Having shattered expectations in the first year, the challenge will be maintaining that success. The good news is that many top contributors are set to return in 2026, and recruiting is trending upward. With a proven leader at the helm and winning culture forming, Gamecock softball is poised to remain a force next spring.
For the Rest of 2025
In all, the first half of 2025 has been eventful for the South Carolina Gamecocks, with some teams riding high on historic events, while others are licking their wounds and reloading for the future. But that mix of triumph and challenge is what makes South Carolina sports so compelling. One thing is for sure; the passion of Gamecock Nation is stronger than ever heading into the remainder of the year with the best of action yet to come. The back half of the year promises plenty more drama, from the first snap of the football season to the last spike of volleyball, and everything in between.