Who Returns? A Guide To South Carolina's Eligibility Situation

South Carolina's regular season has ended, so it's time to see who's eligible to return for next season.

The South Carolina Gamecocks are coming to a fantastic finish to the regular season after knocking off two top 10 teams and college football playoff hopefuls in Tennessee and Clemson. 

With the team getting some time off before they learn their bowl destination, fans will automatically want to know what the makeup of next year's team could be.

Due to the COVID-19 eligibility rules, determining who can and can't come back has become quite convoluted, so I decided to go back and look at notable contributors and figure out who could be wearing Garnet and Black threads again in 2023.

This doesn't mean all the following players listed as eligible to come back will return for South Carolina, and it doesn't mean they will leave.

Out of Eligibility

• Christian Beal-Smith, RB
• Dante Miller, RB
• Josh Vann, WR
• Jalen Brooks, WR
• Nate Adkins, TE
• Eric Douglas, C
• Dylan Wonnum, OT
• MJ Webb, DT
• Brad Johnson, ILB
• Sherrod Greene, ILB
• Devonni Reed, S

Seniors Who Could Use COVID Year

• Dakereon Joyner, QB/WR
• Xavier Legette, WR
• Ahmarean Brown, WR
• Austin Stogner, TE
• Jaylen Nichols, OG
• Jovaughn Gwyn, OG
• Wyatt Campbell, OL
• Hank Manos, C
• Zacch Pickens, DT

Draft Eligible Underclassmen

• Spencer Rattler, QB (2 years)
• MarShawn Lloyd, RB (3 years)
• Antwane Wells, WR (2 years)
• Jaheim Bell, TE (2 years)
• Gilber Edmond, EDGE (3 years)
• Jordan Burch, EDGE (2 years)
• Marcellas Dial, CB (2 years)
• Darius Rush, CB (1 year)
• Cam Smith, CB (2 years)
• Kai Kroeger, P (2 years)

Edge defender Jordan Strachan could return if he's granted a medical waiver by the NCAA, as he tore his ACL in the Gamecocks' second game against Arkansas. If he gets the waiver, it would truly be Strachan's final year of eligibility in the college ranks.

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