Gamecock Football Fall Camp News and Notes

QUICKLY: 2024 marks year four of the Shane Beamer Era and the 131st season of intercollegiate football at the University of South Carolina, dating back to 1892. It is the 118th-consecutive year in which South Carolina has competed on the gridiron. The University did not field a team in either 1893 or 1906. Carolina owns an all-time record of 634-613-44, a .508 winning percentage. Since the start of the 21st century, the Gamecocks have posted a 168-131 record, a .562 winning clip. Under Coach Beamer, the Gamecocks are 20-18, a .526 winning clip.

IT JUST MEANS MORE: The 2024 season will mark South Carolina’s 33rd year in the Southeastern Conference. South Carolina and Arkansas joined the SEC prior to the 1992 campaign. The Gamecocks earned the SEC Eastern Division title in the 2010 season. The Gamecocks are 109-148-1 (.424) all-time in SEC regular season play, but posted a 42-38 (.525) record in conference action from 2010-19. Under Coach Beamer, the Gamecocks are 10-14 in SEC play, a .417 winning percentage.

YOU’RE SIXTEEN: The Southeastern Conference will take on a new look in 2024 with the addition of blue blood programs Texas and Oklahoma. The Gamecocks will not face the Longhorns in 2024 but will travel to Norman for their first encounter with the Sooners on Oct. 19. With the additions of the two schools, the league will no longer be divided into two divisions, but rather just one 16-team conference with the top two finishers advancing to Atlanta for the SEC Championship game.

FIRST TIME FOR EVERYTHING: South Carolina will face two opponents on the gridiron in 2024 for the first time in school history. The Old Dominion Monarchs, out of the Sun Belt Conference, will come to Columbia on Aug. 31 to kickoff the season, while the Gamecocks will travel to Norman, Okla. on Oct. 19 to take on new SEC rival Oklahoma.

MISSING YOU: With the addition of Texas and Oklahoma to the SEC and the subsequent dissolution of divisional play, the Gamecocks do not have long-time Eastern Division rivals Georgia, Florida or Tennessee on the 2024 slate. They have met each of those schools every year since joining the conference in 1992.

THE FALL CALENDAR: The 2024 edition of South Carolina Football gets underway when the team officially reports for fall camp on Thursday, Aug. 1. The first practice is scheduled for Friday, Aug. 2. The Gamecocks will generally practice in the mornings. The first two days will be in helmets. Shells will be added for practices 3, 4 and 5. The first day of full pads will be practice No. 6, tentatively set for Thursday, Aug. 8. Scrimmages are set for Saturday, Aug. 10 and Saturday, Aug. 17. Fall classes will begin on Thursday, Aug. 20.

BIG WEEKENDS: South Carolina has several big weekends on tap for home football games in 2024. The Akron game on Sept. 21 has been tabbed as Family Weekend on the USC campus. The annual Homecoming week festivities culminate on Nov. 2 when the Gamecocks host Texas A&M. The popular “Salute the Troops” game is scheduled for Nov. 23 when USC faces Wofford.

TOUGH SLATE: South Carolina traditionally has one of the nation’s toughest schedules and 2024 is no exception. 247Sports and Sports Illustrated are in agreement, both tabbing the Gamecocks as having the fourth-toughest schedule in the country. 247Sports said this:

“South Carolina’s football schedule is always a challenge, but one would think missing annual rivals Georgia, Tennessee and Florida for the first time in decades would make things easier on the Gamecocks. Hardly. South Carolina hosts LSU and Ole Miss and travels to Alabama, Oklahoma and Clemson next season. That’s five games against teams who could likely be inside the top 15 at the time of contest. That Week 2 road game against Kentucky is pivotal for both based on the difficult schedules for each.”

2023 IN REVIEW: South Carolina concluded the 2023 season with a record of 5-7, including a 3-5 mark in the SEC. After dropping six of their first eight games, including four in a row, the Gamecocks finished the season strong, winning three of four games in the month of November. Four of their seven losses came to teams that finished the season ranked in the Associated Press Top-20, including No. 4 Georgia, No. 8 Missouri, No. 17 Tennessee and No. 20 Clemson.

WHO ARE THESE GUYS?: The Gamecocks have four new on-field assistant coaches for the 2024 season, including three on the offensive side of the ball. Regarded as an outstanding recruiter, Marquel Blackwell, who also has SEC ties having coached most recent with Coley at A&M and before that Ole Miss, takes over as the new running backs coach. Long-time NFL special teams savant Joe DeCamillis assumes the duties vacated by Pete Lembo as associate head coach and special teams coach. DeCamillis has ties to Carolina, as his father-in-law, Dan Reeves, is a Gamecock Legend and former NFL head coach. DeCamillis owns two Super Bowl rings of his own. Former Gamecock assistant and Georgia State head coach Shawn Elliott returns to Columbia as the run game coordinator/tight ends coach. Elliott, a Camden, S.C. native, was the head coach at GSU for the past seven seasons and served as a Gamecock assistant from 2010-16 under Steve Spurrier and Will Muschamp. Mike Furrey, who spent seven seasons in the NFL as a player and four more as a wide receivers coach, is the newest member of the staff. He spent the past two seasons as the head coach at Limestone.

NEXT LEVEL COACHING EXPERIENCE: Six of the Gamecocks 10 assistant coaches have coaching experience in the NFL. Those who have earned their stripes with NFL teams include Joe DeCamillis, Mike Furrey, Torrian Gray, Dowell Loggains, Sterling Lucas and Lonnie Teasley.

RUN IT BACK: The Gamecocks welcome 44 returning letterwinners to begin the 2024 fall session. The lettermen consist of 16 offensive players, 25 on the defensive side of the ball and three specialists.

RETURNING STARTERS: The Gamecocks list 14 returning starters of a possible 24 (offense, defense, punter, placekicker) from the 2023 squad, five on offense, eight on defense and one specialist. The returning offensive starters are LT Tree Babalade, RG Trovon Baugh, WR Nyck Harbor, RT Vershon Lee and LG Jakai Moore. The eight returning starters on defense are S Nick Emmanwori, CB O’Donnell Fortune, DT Alex Huntley, N Jalon Kilgore, DT T.J. Sanders, S DQ Smith, DE Bryan Thomas Jr. and LB Debo Williams. Kai Kroeger returns to handle the punting duties.

GONE BUT NOT FORGOTTEN: The Gamecocks said good-bye to 28 letterwinners including 10 starters off last year’s team – six on offense, three on defense and one specialist. The departed starters include RB Mario Anderson, WR Ahmarean Brown, OC Nick Gargiulo, TE Trey Knox, WR Xavier Legette, and QB Spencer Rattler on offense, along with CB Marcellas Dial, LB Stone Blanton and EDGE Jordan Strachan on defense, and placekicker Mitch Jeter.

EVERY TIME OUT: The Gamecocks had six players start all 12 games in 2023 including QB Spencer Rattler, WR Xavier Legette and OL Nick Gargiulo on offense and LB Debo Williams, LB Stone Blanton and CB Marcellas Dial on defense. Williams is the lone returner for 2024.

THE DANDY DOZEN: Twelve players have been on the Gamecocks’ roster since head coach Shane Beamer’s arrival in Columbia in December of 2020. The dozen includes Luke Doty, Bradley Dunn, O’Donnell Fortune, Tonka Hemingway, Alex Herrera, Alex Huntley, Mohamed Kaba, Kai Kroeger, Vershon Lee, Payton Mangrum, Jakai Moore and Hunter Rugers.

JUST CAN’T GET ENOUGH: Eleven Gamecocks began their collegiate careers in 2019. Oscar Adaway III, Kamaar Bell, Davis Beville, Dalevon Campbell, Alex Herrera, DeAndre Jules, Demetrius Knight Jr., Bam Martin-Scott, Jakai Moore, Joshua Simon and David Spaulding all were 2019 high school graduates.

UTILIZING THE PORTAL: The Gamecocks’ fall roster features 22 players who were on other team’s rosters last fall including 20 scholarship players. Of the 22 transfers, 12 are coming from Power-5 conferences, including seven from the ACC, three from the SEC and two from the Big 12.

EARLY ENROLLEES: The Gamecocks had 13 true freshmen enroll in January including a dozen from the 16-player signing class. The four signees who joined the team during the summer include freshmen Matthew Fuller, Michael Smith and Jalewis Solomon.

THE PITT STOP: The 2024 transfer portal had a distinct Pitt Panther vibe to it as defensive tackle DeAndre Jules, linebacker Bangally Kamara and defensive back Buddy Mack III all made their way down to Columbia from the confluence of the Allegheny, Monogahela and Ohio rivers. In addition, quarterback Davis Beville spent his first three collegiate seasons on the Pitt campus before transferring to Oklahoma for the last two campaigns.

ROSTER TURNOVER: Seventy-six of the 119 players on the spring roster (64 percent) are in either their first or second year in the Gamecock program.

BEEN THERE, DONE THAT: The 2024 fall roster features 24 players who have made at least one start for the Gamecocks in their career. Jakai Moore leads the way with 28 career starts, while fellow offensive lineman Vershon Lee is just one behind with 27 career starts. Junior safeties Nick Emmanwori (23 starts) and DQ Smith (22) have the most starts as Gamecocks on defense.

BY THE NUMBERS: Carolina returns 15 percent of its rushing yards, four percent of its passing yards and 25 percent of its receiving yards from 2023. Juju McDowell (63 yards) is the top returning rusher while tight end Joshua Simon (256 yards) is the top returning receiver. The Gamecocks’ top returning passer is LaNorris Sellers, who threw just four passes for 86 yards a year ago. The top four tacklers from 2023 all return, including team-leader Debo Williams (113 tackles), Jalon Kilgore (76), DQ Smith (73) and Nick Emmanwori (71 tackles). T.J. Sanders (9.5 tackles for loss, 4.5 sacks) is back after leading the squad in those two categories, while Nick Emmanwori (2 interceptions, 8 pass breakups) and O’Donnell Fortune (2 INT, 6 PBU) are the top returners in those categories.

HEY TURN ME OVER: The Gamecock defense has been opportunistic under the leadership of defensive coordinator Clayton White. The Gamecocks forced 17 turnovers a year ago and have forced 64 turnovers over the past three seasons, tops in the SEC. Alabama is second during that span with 58.

BLOCK THAT KICK: When your head coach is named Beamer, special teams are a big part of the game. The Gamecocks have been among the leaders in blocked kicks over the past three seasons, topping the conference with 14 during that time, nearly double any other school.

ALMOST AUTOMATIC: Dating back to 2021, the Gamecocks have successfully converted 39 of their last 42 field goal attempts (92.9 pct.), the best mark in the SEC.

BROTHERLY LOVE: The Gamecocks have two sets of brothers on their roster, all of whom play on defense. Jalon Kilgore was a Freshman All-American for the Gamecocks in 2023, while his older brother, Gerald Kilgore, joined the team in the spring as a transfer after two seasons at Tennessee Tech. Both play in the secondary. Walk-on linebacker Ronnie Porter begins his fourth season in the program. This year he is joined by his younger brother, Rondarius Porter, who plays defensive tackle.

TWO-SPORT STAR: Gamecocks wide receiver Nyck Harbor is one of the fastest players in college football. The two-sport star posted a 20.87 clocking in the 200 meters and 6.73 in the 60 meters during the indoor season. He earned All-America honors during the outdoor season after logging personal bests of 10.11 in the 100m and 20.30 in the 200.

STARGAZING: The Gamecocks 2024 roster features several players who have established a resumé that should have them under consideration for preseason All-SEC accolades. On offense, running back Raheim “Rocket” Sanders, tight end Joshua Simon, wide receivers Jared Brown and Gage Larvadain and center Vershon Lee have earned their way. Defensively, the standouts have been defensive tackles Tonka Hemingway, Alex Huntley and T.J. Sanders, linebackers Debo Williams and Bam Martin-Scott, and defensive backs Nick Emmanwori, O’Donnell Fortune, Jalon Kilgore and DQ Smtih. Special teams are headed up by 2022 All-American punter Kai Kroeger and long snapper Hunter Rogers.

CAPTAIN, MY CAPTAIN: Defensive tackle Alex Huntley and linebacker Debo Williams return after being two of six permanent team captains from the 2023 squad. The other permanent captains named for the 2023 season were QBV Spencer Rattler OL Nick Gargiulo, WR Xavier Legette and RB Dakereon Joyner.

YOU’RE NOT WORTHY: The Gamecocks are 42-15 in their last 57 non-conference games, a .737 winning percentage, with eight of the 15 losses in that stretch coming against Clemson. The Gamecocks went 2-2 against non-conference foes in 2023, posting wins over Furman and Jacksonville State and bookending losses to ACC rivals North Carolina and Clemson. The 2024 non-conference slate includes home games against Old Dominion (Aug. 31), Akron (Sept. 21) and Wofford (Nov. 23) and a road contest at Clemson (Nov. 30).

PROTECT THIS HOUSE: South Carolina has won 38 of its last 45 home games (.844) against non-conference foes. The Gamecocks had won a school-record 22-straight home games against non-conference teams before dropping the final two games of the 2015 regular season to The Citadel and Clemson. The Gamecocks were 2-1 in home non-conference games in 2023, defeating Furman and Jacksonville State and losing to Clemson.

WORKING OVERTIME: The Gamecocks are 3-4 in games decided in overtime since the rule was added in 1996, the most recent being a double-overtime win at Georgia in 2019, a victory that earned them National Team of the Week honors.

TOTING THE SHEEPSKIN: The Gamecocks have 24 players who have already earned their college degrees as they enter the 2024 fall camp. Eight of the 15 own degrees from the University of South Carolina. The list of graduates includes Oscar Adaway III, Kamaar Bell, Davis Beville, Dalevon Campbell, Luke Doty, O’Donnell Fortune, Tonka Hemingway, Alex Herrera, Brady Hunt, Alex Huntley, William Joyce, DeAndre Jules, Mohamed Kaba, Demetrius Knight Jr., Kai Kroeger, Vershon Lee, Buddy Mack III, Payton Mangrum, Bam Martin-Scott, Jakai Moore, Hunter Rogers, Joshua Simon, David Spaulding and Debo Williams.

LOOKING AHEAD: The 2025 schedule will have a similar look at the 2024 slate with the same contests taking place, just at the opposite venue. South Carolina will host Alabama, Kentucky, Oklahoma and Vanderbilt, and will travel to LSU, Ole Miss, Missouri and Texas A&M. The non-conference slate includes an Aug. 31 date in Atlanta against Virginia Tech, and three home games against in-state opponents. The Gamecocks will host FCS South Carolina State on Sept. 6, entertain Coast Carolina on Nov. 22 and wrap up the season with the annual Palmetto Bowl against Clemson on Nov. 29.