What South Carolina’s transfer portal additions mean for Gamecocks and Beamer will work the portal to its fullest

Jan. 28, 2022

The portal, a highly publicized and frequently discussed database that college football players use to enter or exit schools somewhat freely, launched in 2018 and allows athletes to connect with potential new programs in a streamlined process.

With the NCAA’s decision in the 2021 offseason to grant transfers one-time immediate eligibility at a new school, the portal has grown into a viable option for many coaches and players hoping to connect with a fresh opportunity.

For Beamer, the transfer portal means there’s no rest period in recruiting new players to Columbia. “We’ve been hard at work at that,” Beamer said. “We are still not slowing down on that, and we never will. Been busy recruiting for the class of 2022, 2023 and beyond.”

Beamer said he was working the phones while he went away on a beach vacation to start the new year. He secured commitments from four athletes out of the portal to kick off 2022, and he said he’s talking with two or three other transfers with the goal of luring them to Columbia. “With the transfer portal, it’s kind of wide open, do whatever you need to do,” Beamer said. “Last week would have normally been a slow week, relatively speaking, but it wasn’t because all we were doing last week was visiting with potential transfers.”

Beamer said he looks to the transfer portal with an open mind, rather than prioritizing any certain needs. He said he’s “wide open” to pursuing any high-performing player out of the portal, though he did recognize needs for defensive ends, outside linebackers and running backs, given postseason departures from the Gamecocks’ program. South Carolina filled those needs to a degree throughout the past week, securing commitments from defensive lineman Terrell Dawkins out of N.C. State and running back Christian Beal-Smith from Wake Forest. The Gamecocks also added James Madison wide receiver Antwane Wells and Central Michigan safety Devonni Reed last week.

“It’s pretty flexible, kind of looking for everything,” Beamer said. “A lot of that honestly will just kind of depend on where we are as we go through spring practice. There’s always the flexibility of adding guys after spring practice.”

For Beamer, the transfer portal adds a new aspect to recruiting. Now, it’s a 24/7 cycle, and he won’t be slowing down. “It does feel like it’s changed,” Beamer said. “The recruiting never ends. You’re constantly texting and talking to guys, even when you can’t be on the road recruiting. ... I don’t feel like we’ve slowed down a whole lot, but that’s just the nature of the beast. Even in the summertime, when you’re on vacation and all, the recruiting part, you never really turn that off.”

Gamecocks aren’t just snagging bodies from the all-giving transfer portal. Beamer’s squad is plugging holes with difference makers. That’s what makes this run all the more impressive.

“I had a chance to be in South Carolina early in the season to see it firsthand,” ESPN personality Paul Finebaum on Dec. 14 on his daily show. “I realize that was early, but what I saw was incredible. I saw a fan base, especially students, who are enamored with Shane Beamer, who love what he says. He has this infectious personality. I think he won some big games, and the recruiting is proof of that.” South Carolina has worked the transfer portal tirelessly since Beamer took over in December 2020. There are recruiting-focused staffers whose entire job is to quite literally to monitor what players are jumping into the portal and who could fit at South Carolina.

The Gamecocks brought in nine transfers a season ago 10 if you include Zeb Noland. Six played significant snaps, one (Karon Prunty) never suited up at South Carolina, and the other three made contributions as depth pieces. That’s a hit rate just about every coach in America would take. Where last year’s transfer class and this offseason’s group differ, though, is in the type of player who’s now landing in Columbia. Oklahoma quarterback Spencer Rattler could’ve played just about anywhere in the country when he decided to leave Norman. Short of QB Caleb Williams the man who took Rattler’s starting gig with the Sooners and later ended up in the portal himself Rattler was arguably the most prized signal-caller in this year’s transfer class to date. He’s now a Gamecock. OU tight end Austin Stogner falls in a similar boat.


He spurned Ohio State and Iowa State to sign with South Carolina. Receiver Antwane Wells turned his torching of FCS defenses at James Madison into reported offers from Auburn, North Carolina, Louisville, Miami and Mississippi State. He, too, is heading to South Carolina. Throw in Wake Forest running back Christian Beal-Smith the leading rusher on a Demon Deacons squad that won 11 games in 2021 former N.C. State standout defensive lineman Terrell Dawkins and Central Michigan safety Devonni Reed, and South Carolina’s transfer class oozes with immediate potential.

“Offensively, we looked great against Auburn, we looked great against Florida,” head coach Shane Beamer said after downing North Carolina 38-21 in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl on Dec. 30. “We all saw us at Texas A&M and Missouri and Clemson. ... I’m well aware we have to be more consistent (offensively).” Roster construction isn’t an exact science, but college football programs do their due diligence. It’s made more complicated with extra eligibility being doled via the 2020 season that was played amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Landing a player like Rattler, too, puts college football on notice. Wells, according to his former quarterback Cole Johnson, chose South Carolina in part due to the settled quarterback situation. Stogner chose USC largely due to his history with Beamer, but rejoining Rattler is an added bonus. In all, the additions give the Gamecocks a transfer class that 247Sports ranks seventh in college football and third in the Southeastern Conference

“You want to play for the coach who makes playing a lot easier, (makes you) play a lot better,” Stogner told The State. “Having him as a guy that I’ve played for before and I know I want to play for I mean, I’ll run through a brick wall for (Beamer).“ South Carolina still has roughly three scholarship spots to work with should it look to add more pieces. Virginia transfer linebacker West Weeks is on the wish list. Auburn receiver Kobe Hudson would add to what is already a vastly improved offense on paper, if South Carolina is interested. The Gamecocks, though, aren’t just filling spots and piecing together a roster riddled with holes. Beamer and his recruiting staff can be selective. Beamer has said for months he wanted to win now. Most scoffed at the thought. After a 7-6 season, a bowl win and the recent work in the portal, Beamer can kick his feet up and toss back a few piña coladas. South Carolina is landing playmakers on both sides of the ball. What a difference a year makes.


SOUTH CAROLINA TRANSFER PORTAL COMMITMENTS

** denotes signed a financial aid agreement with Gamecocks
  • QB Spencer Rattler (Oklahoma)
  • ** RB Christian Beal-Smith (Wake Forest)
  • WR Antwane Wells (James Madison)
  • TE Austin Stogner (Oklahoma)
  • ** DL Terrell Dawkins (N.C. State)
  • S Devonni Reed (Central Michigan)