The sting of disappointment from last season's faults are finally starting to dampen for head coach Shane Beamer and the Gamecocks. Entering last season as the No. 13 ranked team in the country, South Carolina's season was derailed by inconsistency and miscues just one year detached from a near-playoff berth.
With the transfer portal closing on Jan. 16, excluding players in the National Championship game, Beamer has been more aggressive in this year's portal than in recent years to respond to the 4-8 record and only one conference win of 2025.
As of Jan. 16, the entry deadline for the portal, the Gamecocks will welcome 25 new players into the program.
“We've gotten better since the end of the regular season with the staff we brought in, the signing class we brought in, the players we were able to attain and what we're going to be able to do in the portal," Beamer said. "Could not be more excited about 2026.”
Offensive additions
Figuring out the offensive line has been a major focus for the Gamecocks this offseason. Sophomore tackle Josiah Thompson was briefly in the portal, but electing to return back to South Carolina on Jan. 14. He has defended redshirt junior quarterback LaNorris Sellers' blindside as the starting left tackle for the past two seasons.
Opposite Thompson, at right tackle, will be ESPN’s No. 6 ranked transfer redshirt junior Jacarrius Peak. Peak started 32 games in his career at NC State, including 18 starts at right tackle and 14 at left. Peak joins an O-line that was ranked No. 131 last season, giving up 43 sacks. His mix of strength and experience saw him as an All-ACC honorable mention in 2025.
Also joining the Gamecocks in the trenches are experienced redshirt senior interior lineman Carter Miller from UCF and redshirt senior lineman Emmanuel Poku, a former walk-on at East Carolina. With nearly 60 starts combined, both bring a seasoned and winning mentality into the Gamecocks' locker room.
Miller, a versatile player, made around 20 starts at center for UCF and Louisiana-Monroe, earning an All-Sun Belt honorable mention bid in 2024. Miller also has experience at guard under now-Indiana head coach Curt Cignetti. The addition gives Beamer depth for a unit that allowed the most sacks among Power Four schools in 2025.
Last season, the Gamecocks ranked 116th in rushing yards per game, averaging 111 yards a contest. Beamer hired Penn State’s running backs coach Stan Drayton to try and shift that statistic, and along with him, former four-star redshirt freshman Jabree Coleman also joined the team from the Nittany Lions. Despite not seeing game action for Penn State, Coleman, like the other running backs Beamer recruited this cycle, are from top programs and have multiple years of eligibility remaining.
Fellow four-star freshman Christian Clark from Texas, along with Ohio State redshirt sophomore Sam Dixon, joins Coleman in the Gamecock backfield. In his only game as the featured back for the Longhorns, Clark carried it 20 times for 105 yards and a touchdown.
Beamer decided to go in an opposite direction for his running backs this season in hopes to improve from the dual seventh-year running backs of graduate students Rahsul Faison and Oscar Adaway, who combined for 610 yards and just four touchdowns on the ground last season. The Gamecocks elected to add athleticism and explosiveness rather than experience to the running back room this offseason.
The change at offensive coordinator, hiring Kendal Briles, benefits the wideouts in the Gamecocks offense, new and returning. Briles's offense has produced an 1,000 yard receiver the past two seasons.
On the outside, the size of junior wide receiver Nyck Harbor has caught the interest of fans and defenses for three seasons. Adding another 6-foot-5 deep threat from Oklahoma, redshirt senior Jayden Gibson, gives Sellers an even bigger catch radius to target. Gibson has battled a knee injury and has not played since 2023.
Adding more depth, sophomore Nitro Tuggle presents Briles with many playmaking capabilities. Tuggle has had two stops prior to Columbia, most recently playing for Purdue after his freshman season at Georgia. Tuggle was the second-leading receiver for the Boilermakers last season and scored four touchdowns.
Defensive newcomers
Defense has been a strong point for the recent Gamecock team, and retaining coordinator Clayton White to lead the defense will help mask the turnover from last season.
In the transfer portal, the opportunity to bolster the defensive line was present and seemingly the most important. Improving the front seven for a team that struggled against the run is a positive direction for the Gamecocks.
Most notably, Illinois All-Big Ten senior defensive lineman Tomiwa Durojaiye will play for White next season. Joining alongside him is fellow senior defensive lineman Caleb Herring from Tennessee. Herring utilized his athleticism and frame to manage four sacks in his junior campaign. Also from the SEC, Beamer landed Alabama's former All-American junior Kelby Collins.
Co-defensive coordinator and defensive backs coach Torrian Gray has found success coaching physicality and speed in the slot corner role, resulting in the success of Seahawks standout rookie defensive back Nick Emmanwori and projected early-round pick Jalon Kilgore.
Transferring in after starting 12 games for Kentucky, Quay'sheed Scott entered the defense to fill the spot left by Kilgore. In his sophomore season, Scott had 39 tackles and an interception prior to transferring back to his home state.
On special teams, added depth for Joe DeCamillis' unit will be provided by junior placekicker Upton Bellenfant. The former Texas Tech Red Raider was perfect on field goals last season and 14-16 on extra points.
Reaching the end of the transfer portal cycle, Beamer and his staff will have to acclimate the new Gamecocks as spring practice approaches.