Report(al) Card: South Carolina

Credit: Denny Medley-Imagn Images

By Chris Marler

We continue our recap of the 2026 SEC transfer portal cycle with our report card grade for South Carolina. It’s a make or break year for Shane Beamer who enters the 2026 season on the hotseat. Here’s how the Gamecocks performed in the portal.

Numbers to Know

Players Lost: 20

Players Gained: 26

On3 Ranking: No. 26

247Sports Ranking: No. 22

Headliner – LT Jacarrius Peak (from NC State)

South Carolina has been one of the worst offensive lines in the country for the last several years allowing over 40 sacks in each of the last three seasons. Doing that with both Spencer Rattler and LaNorris Sellers as your quarterback is unreal. The offensive line has been a liability at best for the Gamecocks, and a major overhaul was more than needed. They fired the offensive line coach and ten players off the offensive line entered the portal. Beamer managed to strike gold despite all of it.

Jacarrius Peak is the No. 2 overall offensive linemen in the portal and a top ten player overall according to On3. He will be a starter the moment he steps on campus. Peak has been a three year fixture at NC State and allowed seven sacks in three years combined. To put that in perspective last year’s starting left tackle for South Carolina, Josiah Thompson allowed seven last season alone.

Biggest Loss – WR Vandrevious Jacobs (to Miami)

There was a case to be made for two other players like linebacker Jaron Willis and freshman wide receiver Brian Rowe Jr. The linebacking corps will return all three major producers at the position, but Willis was a physical linebacker that provided good depth. Rowe didn’t have a ton of production in his first season in Columbia, but he is incredibly talented with a high ceiling. So much so that former SEC receiver legend Chris Doering compared his skillset to Devonta Smith.

The answer is Vandrevious Jacobs though. Jacobs was great in 2025 leading the team in receptions with 32 and finishing second on the team in receiving yards (548) and touchdowns (4). Jacobs was a fan favorite and also had three 100 yard games this past season including a seven catch, 141 yard performance against Clemson. South Carolina’s receiving corps for 2026 is arguably the deepest position unit on the team, but nonetheless Miami got a good one in Jacobs.

Instant Impact – DL Tomiwa Durojaiye (from Illinois)

Another big focus for South Carolina this offseason was the interior defensive line. One of the biggest strengths of the 2024 team was not just the talent inside on the defensive line, but also the depth and productivity. This will be Durojaiye’s fifth school in five years which is concerning, but he’s produced at all five. That includes a five sack season at West Virginia and two sacks season for Illinois in 2025. He’s 6-foot-5 and 300 pounds and should pair extremely well against the similar sized former five star Gabriel Brownlow-Dindy. Both those players should eat in the defense that will feature the best pass rusher in college football off the edge.

Biggest Sleeper – Emmanuel Poku (from East Carolina)

Poku is a massive interior offensive lineman from East Carolina that could be an immediate contributor for South Carolina. He’s a bit of a project and less polished than some players in the offensive line group, but at his size and his experience he could be a starter immediately. In 977 snaps last season, he didn’t allow a single sack and has allowed just two in 1,973 total snaps during his collegiate career.