Shane Beamer explains Michael Smith's decision to transfer, leave South Carolina

South Carolina had a bit of a surprise come its way on Tuesday when sophomore tight end Michael Smith left the program after four games and decided to enter the transfer portal.

One day later, head coach Shane Beamer addressed the situation for the first time on Wednesday during his SEC weekly media teleconference.

“I met with Michael last week. He came to talk to me about his role on the team and where he was right now,” Beamer said. “And I explained to him where he was and why. I gave him the weekend to kind of think about what he wanted to do in regards to continuing with us or moving on.

“He reached out to me over the weekend. We had a good conversation, and he just told me he thought it was best for him to get a fresh start somewhere else.”

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Smith, who caught 10 passes for 106 yards and a touchdown as a true freshman, saw action in 12 of 13 games last season and looked to be set for a larger role in 2025.

But even with last year’s leading pass catcher, Josh Simon, leaving for the NFL, Smith struggled to see much playing time in the early portion of this season. He played one snap in the season opener against Virginia and then missed the Missouri game with an unspecified injury.

Smith’s final snap count for the season will be at 63, which is the third most amongst the tight ends, but far behind Brady Hunt and Jordan Dingle. He only caught two passes for 20 yards this season.

“I told him the same thing that I told our team, like practice matters, and there’s competition in every position on our team,” Beamer said. “Mike did a lot of good things for us in 2024, and I certainly didn’t want him to leave. I love the kid. But at the same time, he missed all the spring practice with an injury that put him behind a little bit. He’s been battling a little bit of a shoulder injury since the beginning of the season.”

With Smith no longer on the team, that leaves the Gamecocks with Hunt, Dingle, Maurice Brown II, Mike Tyler, and Reno Roehm as tight ends who have seen the field this year.

“At this time, Brady Hunt, Jordan Dingle, Moe Brown, we feel like are practicing and giving us a better opportunity to win games than he is right now,” Beamer said.

Because Smith only played in four games, he’ll be able to redshirt and retain an extra year of eligibility. He’ll be considered a redshirt sophomore in 2026 and have three years of eligibility remaining.

“I encouraged him to continue to work and get back out on the field and change that because of the expectations we have for him, but we just felt like it was best for him to get a fresh start,” Beamer said. “So wish him well. Love Mike, love his energy, love his spirit. Good football player. But again, practice matters, and those other guys we feel like at this moment, just give us a better opportunity on Saturdays.”

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