The South Carolina Gamecocks fell short in their final football game of the 2024 season in the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl. While it was a rough way to end the season, the Gamecocks head into this off-season prepared for an even bigger blow, the exit of many key players from this year’s roster. Whether it was through graduation or the transfer portal, the departures will have a major impact on the program. It is a difficult task to restructure the roster to build on this year’s success. However, South Carolina has already begun bringing in new players through the transfer portal. Here is our analysis of the Gamecock’s transfer portal acquires.
Key Transfer Portal Additions for South Carolina
Offensive Additions
It was a blooming start to quarterback LaNorris Sellers‘ college career. What moves can the Gamecocks make to build his supporting cast this offseason?
Quarterback, Air Noland – Ohio State
Air Noland was the definition of a high school standout, throwing for over 10,000 yards at Langston Hughes (Fairburn, GA), including a 2023-24 season in which he threw for over 4,000 with a touchdown to interception ratio of 55:4. While it’s unrealistic for those stats to continue in his collegiate career, it’s safe to say he knows what it’s like be successful as the No. 7 QB in his class.
After not playing in his freshman season with the Buckeyes, he’s still got a lot of time to develop at age 19. The biggest question now is how much of the field he’ll see as a Gamecock.
Right now, this seems like a choice based on development preference, and a hope to be the starter in a few years. However, there is an outside chance he can compete with current starting quarterback LaNorris Sellers for the starting job over the summer. If nothing else, he’ll pressure Sellers to perform well in camp but don’t be shocked if he makes a huge impact in Columbia in the coming years.
Running Back, Rahsul Faison – Utah State
Rahsul Faison is a game-changer coming out of the transfer portal for South Carolina. With the loss of Raheim “Rocket” Sanders to the NFL draft, the Gamecocks need help to fill a major hole that fueled the offense this season. The team jumped from 2.8 yards per rush in 2023 to 4.4 this season, partially due to Sanders’ tough running and an ode to the health of his offensive linemen in front of him.
While it won’t be easy to replace Sanders, Faison is a great start. He tallied 1,109 yards and eight touchdowns while rushing for an absurd 5.6 yards per carry, close to a yard more than Sanders had.
Tight End, Jordan Dingle – Kentucky
Jordan Dingle didn’t produce much at the University of Kentucky last year. He only had one touchdown and 71 yards receiving last season. He’ll likely serve as a backup after the departure of South Carolina’s leading pass catcher on the season, Joshua Simon.
Offensive Recap
Overall, South Carolina could’ve targeted more pass-catchers through the portal for Sellers. However, they did make sure that was accomplished in high school recruiting. Yet, the one thing they did secure, was the running back spot.
The move for Faison is so important because of how much the Gamecocks leaned on the run game last season. If the Mike Shula system is anything like the Dowell Loggains one, Faison could be running all over the field.
Defensive Portal Additions
The defense was one of the best in the country last season, but is that sustainable with so many starters leaving the program? Here are a couple players that could help the defense return to form:
Cornerback, Brandon Cisse – NC State
Brandon Cisse is being credited as one of the top cornerbacks in this year’s portal. He is classified as a four-star player. His 91.19 rating is good for 90th in the nation and 11th at the cornerback spot for transferring players, according to on3.com. Cisse finished last year at North Carolina State with 15 solo tackles and 28 total.
Standing at 6-feet, 182 pounds, Cisse is quick, and comes from his track background. He ran a 4.45-second 40-yard dash time back when he was a senior in high school, and he also ran the 100 and 200 yard events. In the 100 meter (≈110 yards), he finished with 11.12, 11.13, and 11.14 in the spring of 2022. In the 200 meter (≈219 yards), his times were 22.09, 22.11, and 22.32. He was also a high school basketball star.
In addition to his speed, he has strong hands, and is able to use those to effectively disrupt a receivers catch process. Cisse doesn’t just know defense, though. He played two ways all throughout high school.
In his famed senior year, Cisse tallied 42 catches for 764 yards and eight touchdowns. In total, he had 1,220 all-purpose yards to go along with 37 tackles, one interception, and two forced fumbles on the defensive side of the ball.
His play as CB1 for the Wolfpack earned him the opportunity to come back to his home state of South Carolina. Cisse grew up in Sumpter, SC, less than an hour outside of Columbia.
Linebacker, Justin Okoronkwo – Alabama
After playing high school football in Germany, Justin Okoronkwo set out his sights on a collegiate career. He spent a majority of his rookie season at Alabama on the bench, only finishing with 14 tackles over eight games played.
Okoronkwo’s 6-foot-3, 228-pound build provides potential upside, and his speed could make him an impact player. He ran his 40-yard dash in just 4.49 seconds. He is another transfer that won’t immediately be a starter, but could potentially be valuable latter.
Defensive Line, Davonte Miles (Bowling Green)
Both starting interior defensive linemen for South Carolina have announced their commitment to the NFL draft, meaning a fresh start will be coming for the position group. One depth player will be Davonte Miles, a 6-foot-5, 275-pound nose tackle. Despite not seeing the field much at Bowling Green, he was a former three-star recruit a season ago, and has potential in him.
