The South Carolina Gamecocks have now had probably one of their bigger players hit the transfer portal and that would be backup quarterback Robby Ashford.
Ashford appeared in eight games this season for the Gamecocks, starting one game against Akron for the injured LaNorris Sellers. Ashford transferred to South Carolina last offseason from Auburn, looking for a starting quarterback role. However, head coach Shane Beamer went with redshirt freshman Sellers and Ashford was named the backup for the season.
BREAKING: South Carolina QB Robby Ashford has re-entered the NCAA Transfer Portal, @PeteNakos_ reports.
— On3 (@On3sports) December 10, 2024
The former Oregon and Auburn signal-caller is on the move again👀https://t.co/U31NaOwVgy pic.twitter.com/4PVRLpdYdM
When Sellers went down with an ankle injury in the second half of the game against LSU this season, Ashford came in but wasn't able to get enough done for South Carolina as the Gamecocks suffered their first loss of the season. In the next game against Akron, Ashford got the start and threw for 243 yards, two touchdowns, and ran for 133 yards and a rushing touchdown.
For the rest of the season, Ashford came into the game, either when the Gamecocks needed a rush player from the quarterback, or when South Carolina was ahead enough to put the backups in. In eight games this season, Ashford finished with 324 passing yards, two passing touchdowns, 227 rushing yards, and two rushing touchdowns.
Ashford clearly is a threat in the run game, and South Carolina used that and tried to capitalize on it. However, with the way Sellers was playing, especially as the season went on, there was no way Beamer or any other coach would go with anyone else.
So after just one season, Ashford will look for his fourth program after spending a little bit of time with Oregon and two years at Auburn. The Alabama native only has one year of eligibility left and can go anywhere he wants without having to sit out for a year due to new transfer portal rules.