A look back at South Carolina's most impactful 2024 transfer portal additions

While many fans across college football struggle to accept the reality of the transfer portal, there is no denying that the portal has been very good to South Carolina. Players like Spencer Rattler, Juice Wells, Mario Anderson, Debo Williams, Nate Adkins, Nick Gargiulo, Jalen Brooks, Josh Simon, Trey Knox, Jason Brown, Zeb Noland, Jordan Strachan, Ahmarean Brown, Carlins Platel, David Spaulding, and Devonni Reed all transferred to Columbia in recent years and made big impacts for the Gamecocks.

However, the 2024 crop of transfers was the best of them all. With the transfer portal officially opening for business on Monday, let’s take a look at the 2024 transfer portal class.

[GamecockCentral: Subscribe for $1 for 7 days]

Last offseason, Shane Beamer’s team added portal pledges from two quarterbacks (Robby Ashford and Davis Beville), three running backs (Rocket Sanders, Oscar Adaway, and Jawarn Howell), five receivers (Gage Larvadain, Dalevon Campbell, Vandrevius Jacobs, Jared Brown, and Ahmari Huggins-Bruce), one tight end (Brady Hunt), two offensive linemen (Torricelli Simpkins, Kamaar Bell, and Aaryn Parks), two defensive tackles (DeAndre Jules and Monkell Goodwine), two EDGE rushers (Kyle Kennard and Gilber Edmond), two linebackers (Demetrius Knight and Bangally Kamara), and two defensive backs (Gerald Kilgore and Buddy Mack).

Several of those players were instrumental to South Carolina’s on-field success this fall.

On offense, several starters emerged from the long list of transfers. Sanders, who was among the SEC leaders in rushing, started every game (and Adaway filled in when he was hurt). Simpkins and Bell were the Gamecocks’ first-team guards all season. The wide receiver corps shifted its starting unit a lot this season, but Larvadain and Brown started most of the games in which they were healthy; Campbell and Jacobs saw a lot of reps at times, too. Brady Hunt was one of two tight end starters, playing a big role as a blocker and being on the receiving end of one of the Gamecocks’ plays of the year in the comeback against Missouri.

On defense, one could argue that the most impactful upgrade from last season came at EDGE. Kyle Kennard had an All-American campaign and was one-half of the country’s most dangerous pass rush duo along with true freshman Dylan Stewart. Linebacker Demetrius Knight was the unsung hero of Clayton White’s unit, making plays all over the field. Jules, Goodwine, and Edmond had some good moments up front, as well. Both Gerald Kilgore and Buddy Mack were impact special teams players.

[On3 App: Get South Carolina push notifications from GamecockCentral]

In some order, the four most impactful transfer portal Gamecocks this fall were Rocket Sanders, Torricelli Simpkins, Kyle Kennard, and Demetrius Knight. That doesn’t diminish what the others did, however.

Some (like Jared Brown, Gage Larvadain, Dalevon Campbell, Vandrevius Jacobs, and DeAndre Jules) had some great moments but were bothered by injuries at times. Others (like Monkell Goodwine and Jawarn Howell) set themselves up for bigger roles in the future. And still others (like Oscar Adaway, Kamaar Bell, Brady Hunt, Gilber Edmond, Gerald Kilgore, and Buddy Mack) were steady contributors who played their respective roles well. Robby Ashford also had a great start when starting quarterback LaNorris Sellers was injured.

It is hard to argue, though, that the top offensive transfers were Sanders and Simpkins and that the top defensive transfers were Kennard and Knight.

[Win two tickets: South Carolina-Clemson MBB game]

Sanders finished the regular season third in the SEC in rushing yards. His 881 yards on the ground are the most by a Gamecock since Kevin Harris in 2020. He also had some big-time catches in the passing game, adding 316 receiving yards. In total, Sanders found the end zone 13 times in 12 games. None of them, though, were as impactful as his lone score against Missouri. With the Gamecocks down by three with 22 seconds left, Rocket lifted off. After taking a shovel pass, he made contact with six Missouri defenders. None of them could bring him down as he found the end zone from 15 yards out to win the game. Sanders was the SEC’s Offensive Player of the Week in the Gamecocks’ win over Vanderbilt, too.

Simpkins, being an offensive lineman, won’t get as much love as other players. But those who pay attention to the big uglies know the former North Carolina A&T star was huge for USC. The entire offensive line struggled early in the year, and Simpkins wasn’t immune from that. However, as things turned around for that unit, Simpkins led the charge. Big No. 76 won two SEC Offensive Lineman of the Week awards and a weekly Outland Trophy honor. It shouldn’t be a surprise that the entire offense performed better as Simpkins and company improved.

On the other side of the ball, Kennard was a monster. He picked up multiple player of the week designations from various outlets this season en route to 11.5 sacks and 16 tackles for loss. Both of those numbers lead the SEC and are in the top 10 nationally. He logged several game-changing sacks this season and has played himself into prominent NFL Draft position. He is a finalist for several major college football awards, including the Lombardi Award and the Nagurski Trophy. Kennard also picked up a few weekly awards along the way this year.

Knight was a stud all year for the Gamecocks. Joining with Debo Williams and Bam Martin-Scott in one of the top South Carolina linebacker rotations in recent years, Knight finished the year second on the team in tackles (75) and had the game-clinching interception against the rival Clemson Tigers in the Palmetto Bowl. All season, Knight was a leader for the USC defense and a steady contributor. Like Kennard, he went from NFL Draft afterthought to future professional following his transfer to South Carolina. Several outlets reward Knight with SEC Defensive Player of the Week honors this season.

[Get our free newsletter! Don’t rely on search engines and social media for your Gamecock info.]

The transfer portal is now open for its 2024 winter window. The Gamecocks, like virtually every program in the country, will be active in recruiting the portal. If the 2025 class of transfers can match the 2024 group’s impact, then Shane Beamer and company could be looking at another special season next fall. The portal window officially closes on December 28th.

Right after the transfer portal closes, the Gamecocks will play their final game of the 2024 season. On December 31st, South Carolina and Illinois will meet on the gridiron for the first time in the Citrus Bowl. Fans can watch the 3:00 p.m. contest on ABC or stream the game on ESPN+.

Discuss South Carolina football on The Insiders Forum!