At the time this book was written, shortly after 7 pm on December 30, there were 75 defenders on the NCAA Transfer Portal who received a rating of two stars or more when evaluated out of high school. One of those defenders is Ryan Hilinski, who announced on Wednesday afternoon that he would be transferred from the University of South Carolina.
With Hilinski looking for a new place to play football, he leaves Gamecocks with three quarterbacks on scholarship who are expected to be on the roster next year.
A cynic will look and say that, of the three defenders, one is a sixth-year veteran who needed three knee surgeries and was replaced in favor of a real freshman who had barely practiced in the position. Another is that freshman who barely trained in position and threw more interceptions (3) than touchdowns (2) in his 71 passing attempts. The third is a freshman entering the transition from a small private school to the Southeast Conference, which is not a recipe for immediate success.
With the numbers being tight and college productivity low, could do first year head coach Shane Beamer and offensive coordinator / defender coach Mike Bobo look for another player on the NCAA transfer portal. Although we don’t know for sure if Gamecocks will look for another player, we can certainly take a look at some players that are currently available.
Here are a few on the NCAA Transfer Portal that may make some sense for Gamecocks. Of course, more players are announcing their transfer intentions on a daily basis, so these are not necessarily the only players South Carolina can choose from.
Let’s make some guesses here before we throw some names on the wall, though. The basic assumption is that Gamecocks will look for a player who has some experience and also some success as a university level. It wouldn’t make much sense to bring in someone completely unknown.
Jarrett Guarantano from Tennessee – Anyone who has watched South Carolina play Tennessee knows your profile. He started against Gamecocks four times and always seemed to play very well. In 41 career games with Tennessee, Guarantano finished 494 of 808 passes (61.1% completion percentage) for 6,174 yards, 38 touchdowns, 17 interceptions and five run touchdowns. He played just seven games this season and his numbers dropped well below 2019. He finished 103 of 166 passes (62% completion percentage), 1,112 yards, six touchdowns, four interceptions and four run touchdowns. He would have one year of remaining eligibility and maybe he could have one Feleipe Franks type of season for Gamecocks.
Chris Robison Atlantic Florida – This may not be a player Gamecocks want to play, but he is someone with whom Beamer will have some familiarity. He was in Oklahoma until April 2017 before he was arrested for public intoxication and finally fired. He was transferred to the FAU, but was suspended from all football activities due to off-field problems during part of 2018 and then was fired from the team in 2019 for an alleged sexual assault case, but was taken away. back to the team in June after the investigation is over. He was removed from the Owls list in August, before the 2020 season, but the reason for the release never came out publicly. On the pitch, however, Robison has become the FAU’s single-season pass yard leader of all time, throwing 3,701 and 28 touchdowns in 2019 on his way to honoring the first team in Conference USA. He would have two years left of eligibility.
Hendon Hooker by Virginia Tech – There may be no better option than Hooker, who started 15 games for Virginia Tech during the 2019 and 2020 seasons, pitching for 2,894 yards and 22 touchdowns for seven interceptions. He added 1,033 race yards in his career, averaging 4.2 yards per attempt, and 15 touchdowns on the ground. Hooker split time this season with transfer from Oregon Braxton Burmeister. Hooker, who was unable to play in the first two weeks of the season due to a medical condition, returned to action in Week 3 during Virginia Tech’s 56-45 loss to North Carolina. After that, he returned to the starting lineup, starting seven of the eight games remaining on Virginia Tech’s schedule.
Patrick O’Brien of the state of Colorado – The connection is obvious, as he was recruited to the state of Colorado by Mike Bobo. It would be a well-traveled option, having moved from Nebraska to CSU. At one point in 2019, he took over as Collin Hill and finally it started the rest of the year. O’Brien ended the season with 2,803 yards and 13 touchdowns and a 61.8 completion percentage. He played in all four of his team’s games this year, with three opening passes for 591 yards and three touchdowns.
Jack Coan of Wisconsin – A fractured foot disrupted Coan’s season this year and he did not play, despite being active in the last two games. Coan led the Badgers to a 10-4 record last season and completed 69.6 percent of his passes for 2,727 yards and 18 touchdowns for five interceptions. When Coan fell injured in the preseason, Graham Mertz, the country’s former No. 65 player at 247Sports Composite, took office and never looked back.
Asher O’Hara of the state of Middle Tennessee – After a year in college, O’Hara was transferred to MTSU, where he started for each of the past two seasons. In his three years, he passed 6,434 yards in total and 49 touchdowns. After a season of more than 2,600 passing yards and completing 62 percent of his passes in 2019, he had 1,960 passing yards and 12 touchdowns with eight interceptions in 2020. He also led the Blue Raiders in races with 601 yards and seven touchdowns. He would have two years of remaining eligibility.
Jace Ruder from North Carolina – He doesn’t have much experience, but he played well in the past in North Carolina, always seeing his seasons hampered by injuries. He broke his leg in his one and only crack in 2019, but Sam Howell he was already the Tar Heels guy. In 2018 as a real freshman, he made 4 of 5 passes for 80 yards and touchdown and ran 21 yards in three runs, but then broke his collarbone against the Yellow Jackets during a quarterback race. But maybe he’s the right guy?
Jake Bentley of Utah – It seems quite unlikely to happen, but it is there.