South Carolina will be without one of its top linebackers since Shane Beamer told him to hit the road

The state of college football now is so different than it was simply five or six years ago. With the transfer portal having so little restriction on it, student-athletes are now using their redshirt as a way to play football at the beginning of the year but then sit out the rest of the season when they aren't happy with things.

South Carolina experiences its own bit of this redshirt madness this week within its linebacker room, with Bangally Kamara now planning to enter the transfer portal at the end of the season.

Kamara went into South Carolina head coach Shane Beamer's office on Monday and informed him he would be redshirting for the rest of the season. Beamer told Kamara it didn't quite work that way and wanted to have a discussion with the Akron, Ohio, native.

After spending four seasons at Pitt, Kamara chose to enter the transfer portal and felt USC was the right fit and could see himself in Beamer's squad. Since the start of the season, Kamara has been one of the top producers in the linebacker room, especially after appearing in only four games. So far, he has racked up nine total tackles, seven solo tackles, and one tackle for a loss. He had recorded 70 defensive snaps, the fourth most of any other USC linebacker.

Beamer had plans for Kamara as the season went on, plans that included his role growing more and more, but after the discussion with Kamara, Beamer felt it was best he looked elsewhere at the end of the season.

"My job is to do what’s best for the team, and what was best for the team, in my mind, is Gally continuing to play and help us try to beat Alabama this weekend,” Beamer said in his Tuesday press conference. “He didn’t quite feel the same way, so in the end, I made the decision for him that it’s probably best for him to move on.”

It seems like Beamer doesn't want players in his program who ultimately don't want to be there to play for them and this is a prime example of that.

The linebacker room is still solid, with Debo Williams, Bam Martin-Scott, and Demetrius Knight leading the way and playing most of the snaps so far this season. All three of them bring a lot of experience, being fifth and two sixth-year seniors.

Beamer wishes Kamara well on his next ventures but was clear that this team is looking into the future just yet. They are still focused on this season, and more importantly, they are focused on this game against No. 7 Alabama.