Why Texas transfer Christian Clark could be big part of South Carolina running game in 2026
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COLUMBIA — South Carolina football might have added a key part to its 2026 running back room via the transfer portal with Christian Clark from Texas.
Clark played in eight games for Texas in 2025, finishing with 236 yards on 55 carries and two touchdowns, averaging 4.3 yards per carry.
In the Citrus Bowl he had 105 yards on 20 carries in the win over Michigan with his longest run 22 yards
He missed the 2024 season with an injury and will now come to the Gamecocks after one full year in Austin. He will have three years of eligibility remaining.
Coach Shane Beamer wanted to vastly improve the depth in the running back room via the portal since he entered the offseason with only three scholarship running backs.
Rahsul Faison was South Carolina’s leader on the ground with 470 yards and three touchdowns, and Oscar Adaway added 140 yards and one touchdown. Both are out of eligibility.
Beamer returns Matt Fuller, who had 260 total yards, Jawarn Howell, who had 80, and Isaiah Augustave, who had 1 yard on two carries, emphasizing the need for production.
South Carolina finished 4-18, 13th in the SEC and ranked 14th in rushing yards with 111.1 total yards per game. Beamer fired running back coach Marquel Blackwell on Dec. 4 and then hired Penn State’s Stan Drayton to replace him.
Clark is not the first portal running back for South Carolina in this cycle. Jabree Coleman is coming in from Penn State, but he redshirted in 2025.
Sam Dixon from Ohio State was also added but only had 9 yards on three carries (one touchdown) as a reserve in 2025.
Clark will have the second-most rushing yards on the roster heading into the season and brings experience playing in the SEC.
Lulu Kesin covers South Carolina athletics for The Greenville News and the USA TODAY Network. Email her at LKesin@usatodayco.com. Follow her on X@Lulukesin and Bluesky@bylulukesin.bsky.social
This article originally appeared on Greenville News: South Carolina football lands Christian Clark, Texas RB transfer
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