South Carolina added eight new offensive linemen to the roster through the transfer portal during the 2026 offseason. Each individual player brings their own stories on how they ended up in Columbia and why they picked South Carolina. Redshirt senior offensive lineman Seth Smith simply felt right at home.
“From the moment I got off the plane from the official visit, it felt like a family,” Smith said. “You would think that’s so cliche, but it felt like a home, and everyone was so warming and welcoming, and you could just tell they wanted me here.”
Coming in from Northern Arizona University, things weren’t always a smooth ride in the program.
From the moment Smith committed to the program to the moment he entered the transfer portal, NAU experienced major coaching changes. Former Lumberjacks head coach Chris Ball was dismissed in 2023. The program then hired a new coach the following year, who brought in a completely new coaching staff along with him.
In an interview last offseason, current NAU head coach Brian Wright discussed the intentions of replacing almost every single member of his coaching staff, along with bringing in over 50 new players. Smith also endured three different offensive line coaches and two offensive coordinators, though in 2024, there was no offensive coordinator specifically named.
"I always thought (NAU) had a lot of potential," Wright said.
Smith did show potential during his later seasons with the Lumberjacks, as he was named captain in 2025 and helped NAU be the 29th in scoring offense and 31st in total offense in the Football Championship Subdivision.
Smith inherited a crucial role in the Lumberjack program after not seeing much playing time during his first three years. The veteran found success on the field during his final two seasons with Northern Arizona, starting every game for the Lumberjacks in his redshirt junior and senior seasons.
The veteran left tackle does not only impact a program on the field, as he said he takes his off-field leadership role seriously and to heart.
“When a lot of the coaching changes and stuff happened, you want to rely on the leadership and the players who have been there,” Smith said. “When I was voted a captain at NAU, it was kind of my job once Coach Wright came in to try to keep that standard held and help him maintain that.”
Coming from a town outside of Phoenix to South Carolina has its differences, especially in talks of schools and resources. Though being around the local schools in the Big 12, Pacific-Atlantic Conference and the Big Sky, there are changes in ways things operate, such as the resources provided and access to facilities.
“There are definitely a lot more resources here than at NAU, which is obviously not a knock at NAU,” Smith said. “There are a lot more resources here, from the food to the locker room to equipment, just everything, so being able to take advantage of those resources and help better my game has been key for me.”
Smith says landing at a Southeastern Conference school is not only his dream but a dream for everyone, treating it as a pre-NFL opportunity. From the higher expectations to long-term goals being achieved to even the increased eyes on moves, this move was a step closer to his future play and achievements.
Along with three new faces on the offensive line is a new coach as well. Offensive line coach Randy Clements followed offensive coordinator Kendal Briles from Texas Christian University to South Carolina. Clements spoke on getting to know this new offensive line as a new face on the staff.
"As a group, we’ll be getting to know each other’s situation for us. I want to come here with a fresh mindset, give everybody a chance to prove themselves and see where everybody fits," Clements said. "It’s like, O-line, you've got five guys playing at once, but you've got to have more than that, and they've all got to fit together and work together. So, it’ll be a grind, a daily process.”