Jacarrius Peak injury update: South Carolina reveals details, timetable for injured OL

South Carolina offensive tackle Jacarrius Peak suffered a lower body injury earlier in the week. The good news is that the Gamecocks expect him back at some point this season.

Speculation had abounded that Peak might miss significant chunks of the season with the injury. But an official statement from South Carolina seemed to offer hope on that front.

“Jacarrius Peak suffered a lower body injury earlier this week and will miss spring practice,” the statement read, as relayed by On3’s Chris Low. “We expect that he will be available this season.”

Peak transferred in from NC State this offseason and was expected to be a big-time, plug-and-play contributor as a starter on the offensive line. He was considered one of the top transfer portal additions for the team, ranked No. 8 in the On3 Transfer Portal Rankings.

Jacarrius Peak was the No. 2 ranked offensive tackle in the portal behind Colorado transfer Jordan Seaton. Seaton ended up at LSU.

Though South Carolina’s statement doesn’t necessarily state that Peak will be available at the beginning of the season, the fact that he will be available at some point is a big deal. He was a kewy addition.

“That’s a guy you go out and get and we had the resources in order to do so,” South Carolina director of player personnel Darren Uscher told GamecockCentral earlier this month. “We had our eye on him for a long time and obviously he’s the type of player that can be the foundational piece of the program and with our quarterback, we wanted to make sure that his blind side was protected.

“(He’s an) athletic freak. If y’all look at that Bruce Feldman’s Freaks List that Nyck Harbor has been on since he came into college, Peak’s been on that list too. So this is a guy that, although he’s not your 6-6 tackle, long-statured guy, he is so light on his feet, he’s extremely athletic, but he’s got long arms. But he’s also extremely powerful and extremely strong and heavy-handed.”

Peak started all 13 of NC State‘s games last season, earning an All-ACC Honorable Mention selection. He ranked as the ACC’s second-highest ranked pass blocker at left tackle and earned an ACC Offensive Lineman of the Week nod. Across his four-year collegiate career, Peak was played in 38 games (32 starts) and is poised to be one of the best offensive tackles in football next season.

On3’s Ari Wasserman labeled Peak as one of his ‘10 most impactful moves in this year’s college football transfer portal window‘ earlier this month.

On3’s Daniel Hager also contributed to this report.