Emily AdamsGreenville News
COLUMBIA — South Carolina football is off to its worst start under coach Shane Beamer through its first six games of 2023, and many of the Gameco*cks' challenges are rooted in a lack of depth and experience.
The Gameco*cks (2-4, 1-3 SEC) were elevated by the No. 9 transfer class in the country in 2022, which included quarterback Spencer Rattler, star wide receiver Antwane Wells Jr. and now-Denver Broncos tight end Nate Adkins. However, South Carolina lost five starters to the transfer portal entering 2023, and it brought in much less talent with the No. 27 class in the 247Sports Composite.
At the midseason mark, we checked in on how South Carolina's biggest portal losses are faring with their new teams, and whether their incoming replacements have been an upgrade or downgrade for the Gameco*cks.
Edge rusher
2022 starters: Jordan Burch, Oregon; Gilber Edmond, Florida State
2023 replacement: Drew Tuazama, UAB; Jaron Willis, Ole Miss
Burch, a Columbia native, was the second-highest rated recruit South Carolina had ever signed as the No. 8 prospect in the Class of 2020. Though he never fully lived up to the hype with the Gameco*cks, Burch had his career-best season in 2022 logging 3.5 sacks, 7.5 tackles for loss and 60 tackles. At Oregon, the 6-foot-6, 290-pound junior has become a more dominant pass rusher with three sacks and six tackles for loss in just six starts. The No. 9 Ducks are 5-1.
Edmond took over as South Carolina's starting defensive end in 2022 after Jordan Strachan's season-ending ACL injury in Week 2, and he led the Gameco*cks with nine tackles for loss, 22 tackles and two sacks. He joined No. 4 Florida State but has not been a major factor with eight tackles and a half tackle for loss in six appearances this season.
South Carolina doesn't have clear standouts at edge in 2023 with six different players listed as potential starters on the depth chart. The only incoming transfers to the room were Willis and Tuazama, but Willis has yet to play a snap and Tuazama has one tackle in five appearances. With just 13 team sacks and 27 TFLs over six games, the line misses Burch and Edmond, badly.
Grade: F
Running back
2022 starter: Marshawn Lloyd, Southern California
2023 replacement: Mario Anderson, Newberry
Lloyd was arguably South Carolina's biggest loss to the transfer portal after he led the Gameco*cks in rushing last season with 573 yards and nine touchdowns in just nine appearances. The 5-9, 210-pound running back's breakout season was cut short by a quad contusion in Week 9, but he picked up where he left off under Lincoln Riley at USC.
Lloyd ranks No. 2 in the country in rush yards per carry with 565 yards on 75 carries plus five touchdowns through seven games. He was named a second-team midseason All-American by Pro Football Focus.
Anderson took a couple of games to get going after making the jump from Division II, but he has logged at least 80 rushing yards in each of the last three games. He's developed into a legitimate threat in the Gameco*cks' offense, but it's hard not to look at a player with Lloyd's ceiling as one that got away.
Grade: C+
Tight end
2022 starters: Jaheim Bell, Florida State; Austin Stogner, Oklahoma
2023 replacements: Trey Knox, Arkansas; Josh Simon, Western Kentucky
Bell was expected to have a pass-catching role last season but ended up taking significant snaps at running back after Lloyd's injury. He logged 231 receiving yards and 261 rushing yards with five touchdowns. His performances at Florida State have been mixed: He has 238 receiving yards and two touchdowns, but 163 of those came in two games against Boston College and Syracuse.
Stogner transferred to South Carolina from Oklahoma in 2022 and returned to the No. 7 Sooners this season. He has not been a consistent factor in either team's passing game, but he does contribute to an Oklahoma offensive front that ranks No. 9 nationally in sacks allowed.
With the change from Marcus Sattefield to former tight ends coach Dowell Loggains at offensive coordinator, it's tricky to evaluate how much of Knox and Simon's impact can be attributed to the system. Still, Knox is at least comparable with, if not an upgrade, from Bell with 214 receiving yards and two touchdowns, an elite football IQ and blocking competency. Simon isn't as strong a blocker as Stogner and has seen limited targets in the passing game despite his length and speed, but the downgrade is fairly minor considering Simon came from a non-Power Five program.
Grade: B+
Follow South Carolina football reporter Emily Adams on X@eaadams6and subscribe to The Greenville News for exclusive Gameco*cks content:https://subscribe.greenvilleonline.com/offers.
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