South Carolina loses star LB transfer to an SEC rival just 48 hours after landing him

The transfer portal can be such a good thing one day and then a horrible thing the next. South Carolina landed the Southwestern Atlantic Conference Co-Defensive Player of the Year, Andrew Jones, out of Grambling just 48 hours ago, and now he is already committed to another school.

The Grambling linebacker was one of the best in the transfer portal and a target for many schools in need of building their defense. With all the hits the South Carolina defense has taken from graduation adn the NFL, landing Jones was big for the Gamecocks, especially with a thin linebacker room.

However, even after committing to the Gamecocks, Jones had another official visit set with one SEC rival, Ole Miss. South Carolina fans knew that a commitment wasn't a signed deal to play for the Gamecocks next season, but they at least figured Jones would step foot in Columbia, South Carolina, first before already committing somewhere else.

Jones only had one year of eligibility left, so bringing him in wasn't going to be a long-term fix, but it hurts to see a guy transfer to a rival school and one that is on the 2025 schedule.

Beamer will now have to hit the portal yet again to bring in help for the linebacker room that is losing big names such as Demtrius Knight Jr., Debo Williams, and Bam Martin-Scott, who have all graduated, and some plan to head to the NFL Draft.

The Gamecocks have been hit by the transfer portal and declarations for the NFL Draft on both sides of the ball, but they will need more help on the defensive side of the ball going forward, with a little over two weeks left in the portal window.

The good news is that this is not the only portal window before next season. The spring window will open on April 16, 2025, and will close on April 28, 2025, right in the middle of spring practices.