Who's in, who's out: South Carolina transfer portal update (1/3)
The transfer portal winter window is officially closed.
As of 11 a.m. on Wednesday, 21 South Carolina players have entered the portal. The Gamecocks have also landed eight players from the portal. This does not include the “Welcome Home” for DT Jermone Simmons, since Simmons is a JUCO commit and not a transfer portal commitment.
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A couple things to keep in mind:
1- Student-athletes looking to transfer only need to give their school’s compliance office the proper paperwork by Jan. 2. So, it’s possible that you could see additional players throughout the country pop up in the portal at any time over the next day or so.
2- Graduate transfers can enter the portal at any given time.
3- The NCAA added a five-day window for teams playing NY6/CFP games. On3’s Pete Nakos has a deeper breakdown on how that works. READ MORE HERE
4- The portal window only requires the necessary paperwork to be submitted to compliance by Jan. 2. Those who didn’t enter the portal by yesterday, who don’t have an expanded transfer portal window, will have to wait until the portal’s spring window opens (April 15-30).
South Carolina Transfer Portal Resources:
- South Carolina Target Watchlist
- South Carolina Portal Tracker
- On3 National Portal Tracker
- Get portal news notifications with the App
WHO’S OUT
DL – Xzavier McLeod (Georgia)
**Dismissed by South Carolina on Oct. 25
EDGE – Donovan Westmoreland
QB – Colten Gauthier
QB – Tanner Bailey
WR – Juice Wells (Ole Miss)
PK – Mitch Jeter (Notre Dame)
WR – Landon Samson
OL – Felix Hixon
WR – Kylic Horton
DL – D’Andre Martin (Charlotte)
WR – O’Mega Blake (East Carolina)
WR – Zavier Short
DB – Kajuan Banks
OL – JonDarius Morgan (UAB)
DB – Isaiah Norris
OL – Grayson Mains
RB – Mario Anderson (Memphis)
OL – Jaylen Nichols
LB – Stone Blanton
LB – Pup Howard
TE – Kamron Sandlin
WHO’S IN
WR Jared Brown
Eligibility Remaining: 2 years
The former Coastal Carolina wide receiver complied over 1,000 all-purpose yards with 58 catches for 740 receiving yards and four touchdowns this past season. Named a Freshman All-American by the Football Writers Association of America in 2022, Brown stands at 6-0, 190 pounds. He’s appeared in 25 games during his college career.
RB Rocket Sanders
Eligibility Remaining: 1 year
In 2022 at Arkansas, Sanders rushed for 1,443 yards and ten touchdowns. He also had 271 yards on 28 receptions and two scores. Injuries and a new offense kept Rocket from taking off the same way in 2023 but don’t let that fool you. There’s a reason why the 6-foot-2, 242-pound back is considered the No.2 running back in the transfer portal according to On3.
DT DeAndre Jules
Eligibility Remaining: 1 year
Standing at 6-foot-3, 310-pounds, the Maryland native played in all 12 regular games this past season for Pittsburgh. He also started in six of them. Jules racked up 24 tackles, 7.5 tackles for loss, a pair of sacks, and a forced fumble in 2023. After redshirting in 2019, Jules has played in a total of 37 collegiate games. In those four seasons, he has accumulated 37 tackles, 11.5 tackles for loss, and 3.5 sacks.
RB Jawarn Howell
Eligibility Remaining: 3 years
Last recorded at 6-foot-1, 215 pounds, Howell is believed to be up an additional ten pounds., As a true freshman at SC State, he rushed for 809 yards and seven touchdowns on 102 carries. That includes his monster 283-yard rushing performance, to go along with three touchdowns, against Howard just last month.
EDGE Kyle Kennard
Eligibility Remaining: 1 year
The former Georgia Tech EDGE stands at 6-foot-5, 238 pounds and ic coming off an impressive 2023 season. This past year, Kennard finished with 54 tackles, 11 tackles for loss, six sacks, and a pair of forced fumbles.
TE Brady Hunt
Eligibility Remaining: 3 years
The 6-foot-6, 249-pound tight end signed with the Gamecocks on Wednesday. A Ball State transfer, he dealt with an ankle injury this past season but shined as a redshirt freshman in 2022, where he received several First Team All American honors. During that season, he caught 46 passes for 498 yards and five touchdowns. His five touchdowns that season were tied for the 12th-most among all tight ends in college football during the regular season. That production is why he was named to the Mackey Watch List in 2023, which is an award given annually to the most outstanding collegiate tight end.
RB Oscar Adaway
Eligibility Remaining: 2 years
The former North Texas running back is ranked as the No. 15 running back in the transfer portal, according to the On3 Industry transfer portal rankings. Standing at 5-11, 219 pounds, he ranks fifth all-time in program history for the Mean Green with 1,935 career rushing yards. This past season he rushed for 738 yards and six touchdowns, while averaging six yards per carry. He also had 14 catches for 89 yards.
DB Gerald Kilgore
Eligibility Remaining: 3 years
A transfer defensive back, he’s the brother of South Carolina freshman All-American Jalon Kilgore. This past season at Tennessee Tech, he appeared in 11 games and racked up 37 tackles, had five pass breakups, and was also credited with 2.5 tackles for loss.
