South Carolina football's biggest transfer portal additions, losses so far
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COLUMBIA — Transfer portal chaos is in full force and South Carolina football has lost more players than it has gained through the first week.
But it’s not necessarily a bad sign yet.
The portal is open for just one window this cycle and will close on Jan. 16.
Coach Shane Beamer has seven incoming transfers as of Jan. 9 compared to 20 players in the portal.
Here’s where the Gamecocks 2026 portal class stands so far.
Shane Beamer needs South Carolina offensive linemen, adds 3
South Carolina lost seven offensive linemen to the portal and desperately needed a major overhaul to protect quarterback LaNorris Sellers. It’s hard to be too attached to any players from the 2025 team given how poorly they performed as a unit.
So far, Beamer has brought in three offensive linemen, highlighted by tackle Jacarrius Peak from NC State. He’s the No. 36 overall player in 247Sports’ transfer rankings.
South Carolina doesn’t just need bodies, but offensive linemen with experience who can make an immediate impact under new position coach Randy Clements.
South Carolina still needs running backs
There was a dip in run game success in 2025 that hurt the offense overall.
The offensive line is a focus of this portal cycle, but the Gamecocks also need to improve their run game. That starts with bringing in some fresh talent to give depth to Beamer’s trio of returners.
Beamer hired Kendal Briles out of TCU as his new offensive coordinator. TCU running back Nate Palmer reportedly took a visit to South Carolina but he chose Wisconsin.
New running backs coach Stan Drayton will need more than three scholarship running backs depth wise but also in terms of explosive production, a big name with a strong resume could be a game-changer.
South Carolina secondary adds depth
Defensive coordinator Clayton White lost three starting defensive backs so adding another piece in former Kentucky cornerback Quay’sheed Scott is big.
Scott had 26 solo tackles and one interception for the Wildcats in 2025. If his game translates to South Carolina’s system, he can replace what White is losing with Brandon Cisse heading to the NFL.
Adding another piece in addition to Scott to rotate in with Peyton Williams, Vicari Swain and Judge Collier won’t hurt either.
Where South Carolina stands on adding wide receivers
South Carolina lost Vandrevius Jacobs to the portal. He had 548 receiving yards and four touchdowns in 2025.
South Carolina added Jayden Gibson from Oklahoma and NiTareon “Nitro” Tuggle visited from Purdue. Gibson was injured for the last two seasons but if he’s back to his old self, his 6-5 height will help Sellers downfield. He had 375 yards and five touchdowns for the Sooners in 2023.
Tuggle had 500 receiving yards on 34 receptions, averaging 14.7 yards per catch to go with four touchdowns in 2025.
Beamer also has several wide receivers returning in Nyck Harbor (618 receiving yards in 2025), Jayden Sellers (337 yards), Donovan Murph (197 yards) and Mazeo Bennett (62 yards).
South Carolina’s wide receiver room could use a veteran presence like Tuggle to lead younger players like Murph and Sellers with Harbor and Bennett.
Shane Beamer adds transfer portal kicker for the first time
For the first time since he took over as coach in December 2020, Beamer got a kicker via the transfer portal. He had dependable talent in Parker White and Mitch Jeter but once Jeter transferred to Notre Dame, Beamer didn’t get anyone with in-game experience.
Upton Bellenfant, a kicker from Texas Tech, is now coming to South Carolina. In 2025 for the Red Raiders Bellenfant was 6-of-6 for his field goals with his longest a 33-yarder but played behind junior Stone Harrington.
He started his career at Buffalo in 2024 under Pete Lembo, who was Beamer’s special teams coordinator before he took the head coaching job. In the MAC, Bellenfant was 18-of-21 with a season-long of 52 yards. He made all extra points and was 7-of-8 from 40-49 yards.
His experience will elevate South Carolina’s offense and special teams, as the past two seasons Beamer’s had a place-kicker with limited range.
Who South Carolina has added in transfer portal
Here are the players the Gamecocks have gotten so far from the transfer portal:
- NC State offensive tackle Jacarrius Peak
- Kentucky corner/defensive back Quay’Sheed Scott
- Texas Tech Kicker Upton Bellenfant
- Purdue offensive lineman Hank Purvis
- UCF offensive lineman Carter Miller
- Georgia defensive lineman Jordan Thomas
- Oklahoma wide receiver Jayden Gibson
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 transfer portal 2026: Gamecocks’ best, worst
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