The NCAA Transfer Portal claimed its sixth member of the South Carolina football team on Thursday night, when the running back Deshaun Fenwick entered, signaling his intention to leave the program. Fenwick had a productive season for Gamecocks in 2020 serving as a backup for Kevin Harris.
Fenwick, who entered the season division with Harris before becoming a reserve, had 54 carries for 297 yards and a touchdown. He averaged 5.5 yards per race, which was eighth in the Southeast Conference among players with more than 50 loads.
The former three-star recruit, who has had a pair of 100-yard games in his career, will surely be missed. After waiting his turn behind four seniors in 2019, he again took a back seat to the first 1,000-yard rusher the Gamecocks have produced since 2013.
While most transfers from the South Carolina program took place in positions that were already shallow, the good thing for Gamecocks is that the running back position looks healthy at this point. Here’s a look at what Gamecocks have in running back in 2021, with players listed by rank.
Junior ZaQuandre White – It remains to be seen which side of the ball White will be on in the 2021 season. He left the state of Florida, in part, because he wanted to play running back, so his defense move at the end of the season for Gamecocks is probably not what he wants in the long run. Gamecocks, however, need a ton of help in high school. White received only a few shipments last season – 16 runs for 59 yards – in part because of security problems with the ball. He put the ball on the ground at the beginning of the season, which meant more loads for Harris and Fenwick. At the end of the season, he put the ball down again. He is one of the most passionate players on the Gamecocks list and has shown some explosion at times.
Second year Kevin Harris – It’s been a while since the Gamecocks had a bellcow running back, but Harris fits. He ended the regular season as the SEC champion with 1,138 yards and was second in the SEC with 15 touchdowns in total. Harris, who averaged 18.5 runs per game, also took the ball well off the field and had 21 receptions for 159 yards and a touchdown. With a healthy Harris, Gamecocks certainly feel good about running back.
Freshman Rashad Amos – A late addition to the 2020 recruiting class, Amos did not make the headlines that the other running back in the class received. Although he only participated in three games this season, he had 18 carries for 99 yards in total. Like Fenwick, he also averaged 5.5 yards per load. He had a chance to get his feet wet
Freshman Marshawn Lloyd – There was a time when it looked like Lloyd would run the race back to South Carolina. Even in a short time on campus, he was turning heads and living up to his recruiting hype, at least the as much as you can before putting your feet on the playing field. But Lloyd tore his ACL in mid-August and was forced to watch from the sideline for the entire 2020 season. 247Sports ranked him as the fifth best running back in the country and number 43 overall.
Freshman Caleb McDowell – Low in stature, but far from speed, McDowell brings that kind of speed to the South Carolina race hall. Over nine regular season games at Lee County High School (Leesburg, Georgia), McDowell ran 105 times for 800 yards and 14 touchdowns. He also took 10 passes for 140 yards and two scores. McDowell scored 16 touchdowns in Lee County’s four playoff victories to reach the state championship game, including four in the semifinal against Westlake. Check out some highlights of your game in the state championship on here.
Gamecocks will certainly miss Fenwick, but the running back room seems to be in a stable position, especially when compared to the rest of the position groups entering the 2021 season.