From the Desk of Jeremiah Donati, No. 12

Construction has officially begun at Williams-Brice Stadium, marking a major milestone in our reimagination of this iconic venue. Phase 1 of the project includes key demolition work across several areas of the stadium (East Ground Level Slab, Southwest Ramp and Floyd Building) which is expected to be completed by January 5. I encourage you to continuously check out our Williams-Brice Reimagined website as we will post regular construction updates.  If you’re in town, make sure to drive by the stadium and see for yourself!

The SEC recently released our 2026 schedule. Next fall, we’ll welcome Kent State, Towson, Mississippi State, Kentucky, Tennessee, Texas A&M and Georgia to Williams-Brice Stadium. While we’re still over eight months away from the start of the season, we already have a lot planned including Family Weekend, Salute the Troops, Homecoming and more.

Whether you’ve been attending games for years or want to experience the magic for the first time, it’s never too early to start thinking about season tickets. Check out our 2026 Football Hub to learn more about what we have planned and season ticket options, including a 10-month payment plan.

I’d like to congratulate our 31 student-athletes who graduated last week. This group included Gamecock Great Stephon Gilmore who returned to finish his degree and graduate through the Carolina Degree Completion Program. I look forward to seeing all of the great things these student-athletes will continue to accomplish.

In addition to celebrating our graduates, the SEC recently announced that we finished fourth in the conference in the latest Graduation Success Ratings. The GSR measures the number of scholarship student-athletes that graduate within a six-year period of their initial full-time enrollment. I want to thank our Dodie Academic Enrichment Staff and our faculty and staff on campus who put in a tremendous amount of time and effort to help our student-athletes reach their goal of graduation.

Head Coach Shane Beamer recently announced the hiring of Kendal Briles (Offensive Coordinator and Quarterbacks Coach), Stan Drayton (Running Backs Coach and Assistant Head Coach for Offense) and Randy Clements (Offensive Line Coach) to his staff for the 2026 season. They all bring a championship pedigree and a proven track record in elevating the programs they have been a part of. I can’t wait for them to start working with our team and I’m also excited to welcome their families home to Columbia.

From a team slogan to an identity that shaped an entire fanbase, “Black Magic” was more than a jersey combination, it was Columbia’s heartbeat – a symbol of swagger, resilience and belief. If you haven’t checked out the four-part documentary, Black Magic: The Story of the 1984 Gamecocks, on Gamecocks+, I highly encourage you to give it a watch.

Gamecocks+ is free for all Gamecock Club members, Roost Level and above. To learn more and watch the documentary and all of the other great feature stories, click the button below.

The accolades continue to roll in for Gamecock Great A’ja Wilson! Following her 4^th WNBA MVP, she was recently named the AP Female Athlete of the Year, The Sporting News 2025 Female Athlete of the Year and was named TIME’s 2025 Athlete of the Year. Congratulations A’ja, you continue to make us proud of all your accomplishments.