Gamecock Digest

OPINION: South Carolina's Three Biggest Remaining Portal Needs

South Carolina's Football program has addressed several question marks through the transfer portal, but a few more roster holes still remain

Andrew Lyon

OPINION: South Carolina's Three Biggest Remaining Portal Needs
OPINION: South Carolina's Three Biggest Remaining Portal Needs /

The South Carolina Gamecocks have been one of the most active teams in the transfer portal over the past two weeks, having landed nine portal commits to this point, tied for the sixth-highest amount amongst all FBS football programs. Shane Beamer and the staff landed a potential bell cow in Rocket Sanders, along with much-needed depth at several other positions, but there are still other needs that must addressed before the end of the current cycle.

What are those needs?

A Quarterback That Can Push LaNorris Sellers

I know that a lot of Gamecock fans are excited about what the Palmetto state native could do in garnet and black threads over the next couple of years, and he may very well live up to the hype. Still, if there's anything this new era of college football has taught us: you can't bank on anything. Whether it's a player or coach staying or someone living up to expectations, major college football staff should always have a 'Plan B.' How Beamer and Co. want to go about it remains to be seen, but you can't enter 2024 with just Sellers, a guy who primarily played receiver in 2023 in Luke Doty, and a true freshman in Dante Reno comprising your QB room. That's asking for trouble should an injury arise.

A Starting-Caliber Outside WR

The Gamecocks have done a good job refilling the cupboard at this position, landing a likely starter in Jared Brown and a solid rotational piece in Jayden McGowan. However, when you throw in the other players that are expected to contribute in this group, like Nyckoles Harbor and Mazeo Bennett, you'll quickly see that more depth is needed and that the room needs someone who has proven they can play downfield and outside the numbers at a high level. Harbor is still raw in certain aspects of his game, so getting another outside wide receiver would be greatly beneficial.

A Starting-Caliber Outside Corner

With Marcellas Dial moving onto the NFL, this marks the second straight offseason in which defensive backs coach Torrian Gray will try to replace a multi-year starter at such a critical position. While O'Donnell Fortune is set to return for 2024, the rest of the anticipated room for next Fall has only recorded a combined 14 tackles. It's not exactly the situation you want to be in going up against SEC competition in nine months, so look for this to be a potential priority in the coming weeks.

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Andrew Lyon
ANDREW LYON

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