The South Carolina Gamecocks football program is gearing up for a big season following a 4-8 season in Columbia. As the Gamecocks continue on with offseason workouts, several former South Carolina players are starting their new NFL careers.Â
South Carolina saw three former Gamecocks get drafted in April, including cornerback Brandon Cisse going in the second round to the Green Bay Packers, defensive lineman Nick Barrett going in the fifth round to the Los Angeles Chargers and fifth-round pick Jalon Kilgore going to the Buffalo Bills.Â
All three former Gamecocks wrapped up rookie mini camps last month with their respective teams. Now, it is officially time for training camp for all 32 NFL teams. On Monday, the NFL released rookie report dates for each team, including the Packers, Chargers and Bills. Here's a look at when each former South Carolina player and rookie will report to their respective teams:Â
- CB Brandon Cisse/Packers: July 27, 2026
- DL Nick Barrett/Chargers: July 23, 2026
- S Jalon Kilgore/Bills: July 21, 2026
- DE Bryan Thomas Jr. (UDFA, Jacksonville Jaguars): July 25, 2026
- DL Monkell Goodwine (UDFA, Minnesota Vikings): July 26, 2026
Cisse, a native of Sumter, S.C., started his career at NC State for two seasons before transferring to South Carolina for 2025. During the spring football season with the Gamecocks, he was named the spring newcomer of the year. Although South Carolina finished with a tough 4-8 record in 2026, Cisse had a solid season in Columbia, despite the Gamecocks' losing season. He finished the year with 27 total tackles including a career-high 19 solo stops with five passes defended and an interception.Â
Barrett joins a rookie draft class in Los Angeles that includes big defensive names in EDGE rusher Akeem Mesidor out of Miami and safety Genesis Smith from Arizona. During Barrett's four seasons with the Gamecocks, he accounted for 72 total tackles with two sacks and an interception.Â
Kilgore, a Georgia native, spent the last three seasons with South Carolina, and saw the field as a true freshman in 2023. He was named a second-team All-SEC that season, after he finished with 76 total tackles, a forced fumble, an interception and seven passes defended. But he wasn’t ever able to match those numbers as a sophomore and junior, finishing his Gamecock career with 178 total tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss, eight interceptions and 29 passes defended. He had a career-high five interceptions as a sophomore during the 2024-25 season.  Â
Monkwell Goodwine and Bryan Thomas Jr. both signed UDFA deals with the Vikings and Jaguars, respectively. Thomas Jr. is the son of Bryan Thomas Sr., who was a first-round draft pick and played 10 seasons with the New York Jets.Â
Congrats to all the former Gamecock rookies on starting training camp next month!  Â
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