Former South Carolina forward finds new home via transfer portal

Former South Carolina forward Okku Federiko hit the transfer portal before ever suiting up for the Gamecocks. He enrolled at USC mid-season after some difficulty getting cleared by the NCAA. Then, he followed his Finnish countryman Morris Ugusuk into the portal once Lamont Paris started adding new transfers to the mix this offseason.

Now, according to an announcement from the program on Tuesday, Federiko has signed with the Drake Bulldogs. He will join the team with four years of eligibility remaining following his Carolina redshirt.

Originally a 4-star prospect in the class of 2024, Federiko committed to the Gamecocks around the same time as Ugusuk. The guard reclassified to the ’23 cycle and played two years in Columbia. The big man, though, never saw any action in garnet and black.

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Earlier this spring, other former Gamecocks like Ugusuk (West Virginia), Austin Herro (St. Thomas), Nick Pringle (Arkansas), Arden Conyers (Charlotte), and Zach Davis (Memphis) committed to new teams out of the transfer portal. Only Jamarii Thomas (likely out of eligibility) remains without a new team.

South Carolina will return just three players from last year’s team for the 2025-2026 season. Big man Jordan Butler (a rising junior), wing Myles Stute (who just earned an extra year of eligibility and a clean bill of health from doctors), and guard Cam Scott (who entered the transfer portal before withdrawing last week) will be back.

The Gamecocks are bringing in a five-man freshman class and a six-player transfer group. However, that brings Carolina to just 14 total roster spots used. Paris also indicated USC would hold a scholarship in case star forward Collin Murray-Boyles decided to withdraw from the NBA Draft.

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