South Carolina lost star linebacker Andrew Jones just days after landing his commitment to SEC rival Ole Miss. A lot of Gamecock fans felt that Jones used South Carolina as a bargaining chip with the Rebels, but all in all, the Southwestern Atlantic Conference Co-Defensive Player of the Year chose to take his talents elsewhere.
Jones choosing to head south to Mississippi did hurt the Gamecocks as they already are going to be short on linebackers next season with the jury still out on whether or not Demetrius Knight Jr., Bam Martin-Scott, and Debo Williams about whether or not they are planning to stay with the Gamecocks or move on.
South Carolina just got some good news though as Shane Beamer just landed former four-star linebacker Shawn Murphy out of the transfer portal from Florida State.
Florida State linebacker Shawn Murphy has signed with South Carolina, @On3sports has learned. Repped by the @APSportsAgency.
— Pete Nakos (@PeteNakos_) December 23, 2024
The former Alabama transfer.https://t.co/VxSGJEUisH pic.twitter.com/VSlJsjrNCp
Murphy comes to South Carolina from Florida State after spending one season with the Seminoles after spending the first two years of his college career at Alabama with Nick Saban. After Saban announced his retirement, Murphy chose to leave the Crimson Tide and to join what seemed to be a very good Florida State program that was primed for a big 2024 season but had anything but that.
At Florida State, Murphy had 13 total tackles and six solo tackles, but with two years of eligibility left due to a redshirt year, he should fit in well with Clayton White's defensive scheme. The former four-star recruit out of Virginia has three years of Power Conference experience and will also bring a lot to the younger linebackers with South Carolina.
Murphy joins Nick Sharpe, Jaylen Brown, Jordan Dingle, and Gabriel Brownlow-Dindy in South Carolina's current transfer class.