USA — Following an almost flawless early signing day, South Carolina football players will focus on the transfer portal before to its closure on January 2.

Three of the nine players the Gamecocks have added to their 2024 transfer class are considered four-star transfers by the 247Sports Composite. Together with the No. 20 high school recruiting class, South Carolina’s class is ranked No. 5 nationally, placing the program’s overall newcomer group at No. 17 going into the upcoming season.

But, with 18 players now in the portal, South Carolina has also seen notable roster losses. From April 16–30, the portal will reopen following the winter season.

Here are the most notable victories and defeats for the Gamecocks on the portal, ranging from restocking the skill positions to a lack of committment in the trenches:

Restocking the running back room is a win.

Last season, South Carolina was the only team in the SEC with fewer than 1,100 rushing yards and an average of less than three yards per carry. They also had the weakest run game of any club. Just two scholarship running backs will be back for the squad, and Juju McDowell, a rising senior, suffered a broken collarbone that prevented him from playing until the end of the 2023 season.

Aggressively pursuing running backs in the portal, the Gamecocks’ strategy paid off. Three new players have joined the squad, the most notable of whom being Raheim “Rocket” Sanders, a former Arkansas standout. With 1,443 running yards in 2022, the junior earned first team All-SEC accolades throughout his two years as a starter for the Razorbacks. The Gamecocks are in a better position than they were the previous season simply by having bodies in the room, and Jawarn Howell from S.C. State and Oscar Adaway from North Texas are both FCS players with enough upside to handle Power 5 snaps.

Loss: There were no experienced offensive line additions.

It’s difficult to locate elite offensive lineman in the portal, but South Carolina hasn’t made any additions to replace their losses or even to strengthen a team that had persistent problems in 2023. The line for the Gamecocks struggled with injuries all season long, and it showed in the 41 sacks they gave up.It was a huge setback for the Gamecocks to lose Jaylen Nichols, an anticipated starting tackle, to the portal. They also lost two lineman who could have been useful depth players in 2024. Three linemen have signed with the team as high school recruits. class, but in the trenches, freshman don’t always convert swiftly. Although Tree Babalade and Trovon Baugh, who were thrust into starting duties this season, weren’t a huge liability, it was obvious that they would have benefited from more experience and development.

Succeed: Reaching out to (and obtaining) Power 5 players

Just two of the eleven incoming transfers from South Carolina in 2023 had ever started a game at the Power 5 level. The featured player was former Arkansas tight end Trey Knox, while Syracuse transfer Jatius Geer made his Orange debut at defensive end in 2022. Four players from Power 5 programs were added by the Gamecocks, but only Knox saw significant action.