Why The Next Five Weeks Are Critical For South Carolina's Football Program

South Carolina's Football program looks to fulfill its last remaining needs through the portal while laying the foundation for the 2025 high school cycle.

With the first and likely most significant wave of transfer portal moves having taken place over the last three weeks and the early national signing period having come and gone on the high school recruiting front, Gamecock fans might be wondering, coming out of the holiday break: 'What's next for Shane Beamer and South Carolina's Football program?' With Spring practice not beginning until sometime in early March, the staff still has plenty to take care of on the recruiting front, starting with the portal.

Although the Gamecocks have picked up a mixture of instant-impact type starters and much-needed depth through the portal, this cycle doesn't end until January 2nd. That means that up until that point, any player can enter their name into the portal without an immediate destination. South Carolina still has several needs they must address and, therefore, could host several prospective transfers during a 'Quiet Period' that'll be in effect between the 3rd and 7th of January.

On January 12th, a contact period will be initiated, meaning that Beamer and his staff can talk to high school prospects via phone communication, visit them at their high schools, or host them for an on-campus visit. With Gamecocks looking like they're done with the 2024 cycle, they can now set the majority of their focus on their 2025 target board and will likely have one or two junior day weekends late in January. One prospect who's tentatively planning to be in Columbia on January 20th is four-star QB Ryan Montgomery, and he likely won't be the only target in town on that day.

2025 four-star QB Ryan Montgomery on a visit to Ohio State (27th Nov., 2023) / Lori Schmidt | The Columbus Dispatch

That contact period ends on February 3rd, with a dead period officially beginning on the 5th and running through March 3rd, likely a few days before Spring practice begins for South Carolina. The following month is critical for the Gamecocks, as Beamer and the staff will look to close the current transfer portal cycle on a high note and set the tone for what could be another Top 20 class in the 2025 high school recruiting cycle.

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