With the South Carolina Gamecocks final game of the 2024 season less than a week away, Carolina’s staff is firmly locked in on preparations for Illinois and the Citrus Bowl. A win would secure the Gamecocks’’ first double-digit win campaign in over a decade.
While head coach Shane Beamer certainly has the majority of his attention on getting his guys prepared, the modern age of college football mandates that a coach must have his eye on about a dozen things at once. One of these in particular has completely changed the face of the sport in recent years. That’s the end-of-season Transfer Portal window.
Who’s Coming and Going in Columbia
The New Era of College Football
Like every major program, Carolina has seen its roster affected by departures and arrivals. The added wrinkle of NIL has also forced programs to essentially renegotiate deals to retain their best players. Dealing with all of this in the midst of bowl game preparations can be a massive headache. It’s part of the job, however, and it’s required to compete.
With so much portal and NIL action going on, let’s take a look at who the Gamecocks have added, who their biggest losses were, and most importantly who they managed to retain.
Key Portal Losses
As of this writing, Carolina has seen 14 different players enter their names into the portal. Of these names, six have found new homes while the remaining eight are still weighing their options. Pretty much all of these players were either backups, or depth pieces at their respective positions, but there are a few who sting a bit more than the others.
Chief among them is backup quarterback Robby Ashford. A seasoned veteran, Ashford transferred in from Auburn before the start of the season. He served as the primary backup to LaNorris Sellers. His lone start of the season was against Akron, where he completed 22-of-32 passes for 324 yards and two touchdowns, to go along with 227 yards and two scores on the ground. Losing an experienced backup is always a major blow, and that’s what Ashford represents.
The other major blow came to the tight ends room, where a trio of pass catchers also hit the portal. Connor Cox, Nick Elksnis, and Reid Mikeska all found new homes. While none saw much playing time, they represent a serious chunk of the depth Carolina had at the position. Cox was expected to contribute in 2025, so his departure stings the most. Now Beamer and his staff will have to find suitable replacements.
Gamecocks’ Key Additions
While the portal certainly takes a lot from teams, it can also give a lot as well. As of this writing, the Gamecocks have picked up seven transfer portal commitments. Several of these are expected to be depth pieces, but there are a few who could be difference makers.
The biggest splash Beamer has made so far is locking up former five-star quarterback Air Noland. The redshirt freshman is making his way to Columbia via Ohio State, where he spent his first season in college buried on the depth chart. He’ll presumably serve as Sellers’ backup this season, before taking the reins next year should Sellers declare for the draft. Noland was rated as the fourth-best quarterback prospect of the 2024 cycle per 247Sports. He has all the tools necessary to be an elite signal-caller at the collegiate level.
The second impact player Carolina has pulled thus far is former Wake Forest offensive lineman Nick Sharpe. The 6’2 355-pound lineman played in 11 games for the Demon Deacons this past season. Of these, nine were starts at right guard. The Gamecocks are expected to lose three starters along the offensive line this offseason, so Sharpe has the opportunity to come in and make an immediate impact up front.
Lastly, Carolina picked up an experienced linebacker from Florida State Shawn Murphy. The former four-star recruit started off his career at Alabama, where he played two seasons before transferring to FSU for the 2024 season. Now, he’ll be looking to end his college career on a high note with the Gamecocks. Carolina will also be in desperate need of quality depth at the middle linebacker position heading into 2025.
Star Freshmen get Raises
Carolina has also been busy locking up key players on new NIL deals. In the new age of college football, teams have found themselves in a position where they must renegotiate NIL deals with their star players every offseason in order to keep them in the fold. The Gamecocks are no different in this regard, locking up two key freshmen to lucrative deals for the 2025 season.
The first of these is no other than their budding superstar at quarterback LaNorris Sellers. Coming off a stellar first season at the helm of Carolina’s offense, the soon-to-be redshirt sophomore figured to be in line for a massive bump in compensation. It was announced on Christmas Eve that the reigning SEC Freshman of the Year had signed a deal keeping him in Columbia for 2025. The exact number hasn’t been disclosed, but the prevailing sentiment is that the deal is somewhere in the 2.7 million range.
EDGE Dylan Stewart is the second star freshman receiving a significant bump in NIL. A five-star recruit in the 2024 class, Stewart showed out as a true freshman. He collected 6.5 sacks, and 9.5 tackles for a loss. With the Gamecocks expected to lose several key pass rushers this offseason, keeping Stewart in the fold for 2025 was a top priority for Beamer. The new deal worth an estimated 1.5 million did just that and locked up another budding superstar for Carolina.
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