What former four-star Oklahoma transfer brings to South Carolina as the Gamecocks open portal season

The South Carolina Gamecock Football program landed its first commitment of the current NCAA Transfer Portal cycle, securing Oklahoma wide receiver Jayden Gibson after his official visit to Columbia over the weekend. This addition checks an immediate box for the Gamecocks, who entered the portal window needing urgent help at the wide receiver position. Head coach Shane Beamer and his staff moved quickly, landing a former blue-chip prospect with size, upside, and something to prove.

The 6-foot-5, 197-pound receiver arrived at Oklahoma Sooners as a four-star recruit out of West Orange High School in Winter Garden, Florida, and was viewed as a future mismatch nightmare on the perimeter. He played in both the 2022 and 2023 seasons, flashing red-zone potential during his sophomore campaign when he caught 14 passes for 275 yards and five touchdowns.

Unfortunately, that momentum stalled in 2024, and into 2025, when Gibson was sidelined in August due to a tear in the patellar tendon in his knee. He missed the entire 2024 season and was set to return in 2025 but sustained a setback with his knee before the start of spring practices while running routes on air. He subsequently departed the Sooners program in October 2025, entering the portal not chasing NIL headlines, but opportunity. In his own words, Gibson is looking for football, not a bag. And he will get that opportunity at South Carolina.

With two years of eligibility remaining, Gibson gives South Carolina a big-bodied target capable of creating mismatches, particularly in the red zone, which is an area the Gamecocks have been looking to add length and physicality. While questions remain after two full seasons away from game action, the upside is there. At full strength, Gibson brings a catch radius that’s difficult to defend and a profile that once made him one of the most coveted receivers in his class.