South Carolina's fall camp is a chance for players to win their respective position battles. One of the biggest undecided battles for the Gamecocks is at placekicker, where three main guys are competing for the starting job. Since the departure of last year's starting kicker in William Joyce, who used his final season of eligibility in 2025, it's been a position to keep an eye on.
With the Gamecocks' 2026 season less than three weeks away, let's take a look at the state of South Carolina's placekicking room, including who is in the mix for the starting job, which guys stand out and more.
3 players battling for South Carolina starting kicker job
The kicking competition has come down to three main guys who are looking to solidify the starting job by the time South Carolina opens on Sept. 5 against Kent State. The competition is coming down to sophomore Max Kelley, redshirt senior Upton Bellefant and redshirt freshman Malik Orsan.
Although Kelley is just a sophomore this season, he has been at South Carolina the longest of the three. As a true freshman last year, Kelley handled the Gamecocks' kickoffs last season. He was named to the Coaches All-SEC Freshman team.
But he has plenty of experience at placekicker. Per his South Carolina bio, he finished 16-of-23 in field goal attempts at Gallatin High School, and was 57-of-65 in point-after attempts. His career long field goal was a 51-yarder, and his father, Jay Kelley was a kicker at Liberty in the early 2000s.
Bellefant is a redshirt senior, with South Carolina being his fourth program he has been a part of. Coming out of high school in Murfreesboro, Tenn., he started his career at Alabama. He redshirted in 2022, and was the Tide's backup placekicker in 2023. He did not see any game action while he was in Tuscaloosa, so he transferred to Buffalo before the 2024 season.
There as a redshirt sophomore, Bellefant was a perfect 31-for-31 on extra-point attempts, and was 18-for-21 on field goals. His 18 good field goals impressively ranked second in Buffalo school history for a single season. He kicked 80% from 40 yards or longer, and was named to the All-MAC third team.
He transferred to Texas Tech for the 2025 season, and helped the Red Raiders finish 12-2 as Big 12 champions and reach a College Football Playoff berth. Behind Tech starting kicker Stone Harington, Bellenfant played in seven games for Tech, going six-for-six on his field goal attempts. He made 14 of his 16 extra-point attempts, as well.
And last but certainly not least, there is redshirt freshman Orsan, who arrives at South Carolina after starting his career at Southeast Missouri State. He took a redshirt there last season, and did not see any game reps. He played high school football at Mary Institute, where he connected on eight field goals his senior year.
As you can see, all three guys bring different experiences along with them. There's no question that Kelley might have a slight edge since he's been working with Smiley since last season, and he was the Gamecocks' kickoff man. But Bellefant brings real big-time game experience that Orsan and Kelley just don't have.
Which guys have an edge so far in the battle to start?
Head coach Shane Beamer told reporters in mid-August that no guy has separated himself just yet:
Shane Beamer talking about the kicker battle.
— Jordan Kaye (@jordankaye_23) August 18, 2026
"I have no concerns about the kicker position. We have a really competitive battle going on right now ... All three of them are quality kickers. ... No one has really separated themselves yet — I wish they would."{
“They’ve all been progressing and pushing each other. What I told them is, ‘Your goal is to make it very hard for coach (Shane) Beamer to decide," South Carolina special teams coordinator Matthew Smiley said in August via The Post and Courier. "Because if you think that it’s like, ‘Hey, I’ll do OK,’ you’ll get left in the dust.’ Because those three guys are talented, and they’re working their butts off.”
Smiley added via the newspaper that he'd like to give whoever wins the starting kicker job at least a few days to reveal who gets the honors. That means South Carolina's starter for the job might not be revealed until game week against Kent State on Sept. 5.
During a season during which South Carolina is expected to have several close games, having a placekicker you can count on is a must. Whoever wins the starting job will look to be a consistent points-scorer when they have to.
Kickers might not be the flashiest playmakers, but having a guy you can count on sometimes is the biggest difference between wins and losses. No pressure, guys!
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