South Carolina lands transfer portal EDGE from ACC
An impactful transfer portal class for South Carolina football got even better on Friday, as former Georgia Tech standout and four-star portal EDGE Kyle Kennard made his commitment to the Gamecocks.
The 6-foot-5, 238-pounder made a midweek official visit to check out Shane Beamer’s program and left as the newest member of the Garnet and Black.
Kennard is ranked the No. 6 EDGE prospect in the portal according to On3 and the No. 9 EDGE prospect according to the On3 Industry Ranking, which averages the rankings from the major media services.
South Carolina Transfer Portal Resources:
- South Carolina Target Watchlist
- South Carolina Portal Tracker
- On3 National Portal Tracker
- Get portal news notifications with the App
A high school graduate of Atlanta (Georgia) Riverwood, Kennard was a coveted prospect from the transfer portal. He visited Florida State last weekend and was originally slated, per sources, for a trip to Missouri this weekend.
Kennard put up strong numbers as a junior in the 2023 campaign; he tallied 54 tackles, 11 tackles for loss, 6 sacks, and a pair of forced fumbles.
Kennard has one year of eligibility left.
Kyle Kennard Bio from RamblinWreck.com
2022 (Sophomore): Played in all 12 games and made nine starts at defensive end … Tied for eighth on team in total tackles with 36 … Amassed 19 solo tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss and two sacks … Recorded a season-best five tackles (four solo) against Western Carolina (Sept. 10) and at Florida State (Oct.29) … Turned in four tackles in four different games — at UCF (Sept. 24), vs. Duke (Oct. 8), vs. Virginia (Oct. 20) and vs. Miami (Nov. 12).
2021 (True Freshman): Saw action in all 12 games with two starts (Nov. 13 vs. Boston College and Nov. 20 at No. 6 Notre Dame) … Finished the season with 15 tackles, which included 3.5 tackles for loss (fifth on team) and two sacks (tied for second on team) … Turned in best performance of the season in 45-22 win over No. 20 North Carolina (Sept. 25), with two sacks and three tackles for loss among his season-high four total tackles … Was in on a tackle for loss in win at Duke (Oct. 9) … Had two tackles at Miami (Nov. 6) … Recorded three tackles against BC.
2020 (Freshman – “Covid Year” – year of eligibility retained): Became a significant contributor at defensive end down the stretch of his true-freshman campaign … Saw action in six games, including the final five contests of the season … Made three starts at DE — at Boston College (Oct. 24), at NC State (Dec. 5) and vs. Pitt (Dec. 10) … Recorded 10 tackles and 2.5 sacks on the season … 2.5 sacks ranked second on the team … Seven of his 10 tackles and all 2.5 sacks came in the final two games of the season — three tackles with 1.5 sacks at NC State and four tackles with one sack versus Pitt.
High School: Rated as a three-star prospect by Rivals, 247Sports and ESPN … Tabbed as the No. 38-ranked weakside defensive end in the nation and the No. 77-ranked player in the state of Georgia by Rivals … All-region honoree … Recorded more than 100 tackles and 40 tackles for loss over the final two seasons of his prep career … Helped lead team to a perfect 10-0 regular season and 11-1 overall record as a senior in 2019 … Anchored a defense that allowed just 11.4 points per game during senior campaign … Coached by Robert Edwards.
Personal: Majoring in business administration.
