It is the season of the NCAA transfer portal and the list of South Carolina football players has certainly been impacted by the transition of the NCAA program. Will Muschamp was for Shane Beamer was.
Since Muschamp was fired in mid-November, Gamecocks have had six players entering the transfer portal, one during the season and five after the season. Three of these six players have already announced their next destination, while the other three will be highly sought after in this new era of transfer recruitment.
With the transition of Gamecocks to the new year, here is a quick recap of the six who decided to leave the program. If Gamecocks are interested in a transfer quarterback, John Whittle of TheBigSpur took a look at the possible options in that position. On Thursday, Gamecocks acquired a wide receiver from the transfer portal.
DT MAKIUS SCOTT – GEORGIA TECH
A member of the 2020 autograph class ranked 19th in the nation by the 247Sports Composite Team Rankings, Scott was one of four defensive line strikers Gamecocks hired. He was the only defensive striker from outside the state who joined the state signatories Jordan Burch, Alex Huntley and Tonka Hemingway. The 1.85 meter, 130-pound freshman didn’t show up for a game this season, he chose to stay out of the rest of the 2020 football season after Muschamp was fired in mid-November. He goes on a program in Atlanta, his home state and not far from his hometown of Gainesville, Georgia.
s SHILO SANDERS – JACKSON STATE
The son of Deion Sanders decided to leave South Carolina after two seasons and join his father’s program. He appeared in 13 games over those two seasons, four as a freshman in 2019 as a cornerback and nine in 2020 (with four starts) as a security guard. Last season, he finished seventh in the team with 32 tackles, while making a tackle for defeat and a pass split.
Y / N JAMMIE ROBINSON – NOT DECLARED
A two-year holder for Gamecocks in nickel and security, Robinson was a selection of the SEC All-Freshman team in 2019 and finished second in the team in tackles as a second year in 2020.
In 2019 he played in all 12 games (three matches). He finished third on the team in tackles as a freshman and was credited with four pass separations, an interception and a forced fumble. In the second year with nickel, safety and some limited reps in the cornerback, Robinson started all 10 games and finished with 74 total tackles, including 2.0 for a loss of yards. He had four pass separations and an interception.
CB JOHN DIXON – PENN STATE
A third member of the Gamecocks defensive hiring class in 2019, Dixon played more than Sanders in his two years, but did not start as many games as Robinson. Even so, he was considered an important piece for high school in 2021 if he had stayed.
It is very likely that Dixon won a starting position in the cornerback after starting eight of the ten games in 2020. He played all ten games, had 28 tackles and five saved passes. He goes on to a Penn State program that was heavily involved in recruiting him out of high school. Gamecocks will have freshman redshirt Cam Smithfreshmen Joey Hunter and O’Donnell Fortune and 2,021 junior college signatories Marcellas Dial and Isaiah Norris, both from Georgia Military College, competing to start singing repetitions in 2021.
QB RYAN HILINSKI – NOT DECLARED
Arguably the most notable Gamecock to enter the transfer portal since it started a few years ago, Hilinski decided to leave after playing two games a year after starting 11 as a real freshman.
In these two appearances in 2020, he went 4 out of 6 (66.7 percent) for 34 yards. He lost the quarterback’s initial battle at the preseason camp for graduation transfer Collin Hill. When Hill was sent off in the second half of game number eight, against Missouri, interim coach, offensive coordinator and defender coach Mike Bobo called freshman Luke Doty play. Doty started the last two games of the season.
A 2019 All-American high school class, the 247Sports Composite ranked Hilinski (Orange, California / Orange Lutheran) as the country’s 64th overall position and second as a professional quarterback. He leaves a QB room that returns Hill (although he hasn’t made it official), Doty and the incoming freshman Colten Gauthier.
RB DESHAUN FENWICK – NOT DECLARED
On New Year’s Eve, Fenwick’s name appeared on the transfer portal. The 6 foot-1 and 220 pound luggage rack was an important piece on the 2020 list. Although it served as a reserve for a 1,000 yard rusher Kevin Harris, Fenwick totaled 297 yards on 54 loads (5.5 yards per load). He was also valuable as a pass catcher off the field.
With the return of Harris, the addition of 2021 signatories Caleb McDowell and the return of SeaShawn Lloyd knee injury at the end of the season, in addition to ZaQuandre White and Rashad Amos Also on the list, the Gamecocks running back room is in good shape with Fenwick leaving. However, your experience will be lacking as an offensive coordinator Mike Bobo builds the offense for the second year in Columbia.