South Carolina football will turn to the transfer market to fill recruiting classes.
Gamecocks initiated the early hire period by obtaining eight signatures from the nine appointments that remained in their 2021 class after the dismissal of former coach Will Muschamp. While South Carolina is certainly excited to get the new signatories to Columbia, the class was tied for the lowest among the Power Five programs. Oregon State also signed eight players on Wednesday.
All other SEC teams have obtained double-digit signatures, including Auburn, who is in a similar situation to the Gamecocks after Gus Malzahn’s recent resignation. So how does Shane Beamer plan to close the gap?
Your answer: the transfer portal.
“Every time I pick up this phone, I get a text message from someone saying, ‘So and so is on the portal. Here’s your number, here’s your mother’s name. We’re not chasing all the guys, but … in whatever position you have a chance to improve the list from top to bottom, we want to do that … [T]this is not a position we are not looking for on the transfer portal. “
Obviously, South Carolina would have liked to sign an entire class this week, rather than having to scour the market for transfers and junior college players, but Beamer is putting a positive spin on the situation. Gamecocks can afford to offer immediate play time to a range of players who may be looking to make an instant impact on the SEC.
“I can’t imagine anyone in the country who is better off with initial scholarships available. We can really improve our team. “
A number of these scholarship offerings are likely to go to wide receivers and advocates, two areas where Gamecocks struggled with production and depth during the 2020 campaign.
In fact, South Carolina is still actively seeking the signatures of WR Qua Davis and DB Isaiah Norris. Both are JUCO transfers that they plan to sign this week and can offer immediate filling in positions of need. Obviously, Gamecocks are not the only suitors, so it can be difficult to land with Beamer just two weeks in charge, but that shows the approach the program is going to take.
Altogether, Beamer seemed satisfied with the initial hiring period, although he is realistic when it comes to the size and perception of the eight-man class. It is something he is planning to build.
“When you sign a class as small as ours, your rating will not be as high, and that’s fine. I would love to be on this call right now talking about 20 guys who are in the top 10 in the recruiting class. Hopefully, it will be next year. “
Hopefully, he will be able to do that next year in his first full recruitment cycle. For now, we’ll see how Gamecocks are able to put together the 2021 class pieces and improve a team coming out of a two-win season.