From the Desk of Jeremiah Donati, No. 17
South Carolina Athletics Director Jeremiah Donati discusses the hot topics around Gamecock Athletics
DEAR GAMECOCKS:
Summer has flown by and it seems just like yesterday we were wrapping up the 2025-26 athletic season. In a few short weeks, competition for the 2026-27 season will begin. Campus is beginning to come to life again as our student-athletes begin making their return to Columbia.
There are some exciting things that happened this past month as well as great things to look forward to in the coming months and I want to share some of them with you.
WILLIAMS-BRICE REIMAGINED UPDATE
While some construction will be ongoing during the 2026 football season, we are nearing completion of phase one of the Williams-Brice Reimagined project. I’m excited for you to see the significant improvements that have been made, especially to the East Ground and West Main concourses. From the launch of this project, we have remained committed that this project is rooted in four key pillars: For All, Legacy & Tradition, Home and Pride of the State. While lots of things will be different on game days this fall, I know when you step into the gates for the first time on September 5, you’ll see that these four pillars have remained constant in all of the decisions that have been made on this project.
We want to ensure you are prepared for the changes this fall. Be on the lookout throughout the month of August for our series of releases about what to expect on game days.
COUNTDOWN TO KICKOFF
Kickoff for the 2026 season is 36 days away! Last week, head coach Shane Beamer, LaNorris Sellers, Nyck Harbor and Peyton Williams traveled to Tampa for SEC Media Days. If you missed their press conferences, be sure to give them a watch on our official YouTube channel.
If you don’t have your tickets yet, there’s still time to make plans to Catch A Game at Williams-Brice Stadium this fall. From first responder appreciation to our Salute the Troops game to our youth sports day, there are a lot of ways for you to enjoy a game, so be sure to check out our 2026 Football Hub to learn more about ticket options for the upcoming season.
WELCOME HOME, NIKE
On July 1, we officially began our partnership with Nike. The response from our partners and retailers has been outstanding and our student-athletes are incredibly excited to compete in Nike performance product this season. We are just under one month into the new partnership and we are thrilled with the lift Gamecock Athletics has seen in this first month.
I have heard feedback from some about the shade of our garnet. I want to clarify our official colors remain garnet and black – and always will be. Although Nike has placed South Carolina into Nike’s internal “Team Crimson” category, that does not mean our color has changed to crimson. Nike (like Under Armour and other shoe and apparel companies) uses an internal classification system for manufacturing and product classification. Some may recall that Under Armour listed our garnet color in their “Team Cardinal” classification. Nike’s defined categories for schools with shades of red include Team Red, Team Scarlet, Team Crimson, Team Gym Red and Team Maroon. Nike’s use of “Team Crimson” (along with several other schools) is simply the name of its internal classification and is not a change to our identity or colors.
Colors naturally look a little different depending on the material, surface, fabric or production method used. That’s true for any color, not just garnet and black. Our team will continue to work to ensure that every application of garnet and black, from facility branding and apparel to digital graphics and promotional materials, stays as consistent as possible while preserving the iconic garnet that defines our brand.
As you gear up for game days this fall, be sure to shop the latest Nike Gamecock merchandise via our official online retail store, shop.gamecocksonline.com.
FALL OLYMPIC SPORTS UPDATES
Our women’s soccer team will travel to Chapel Hill for an exhibition match vs. UNC on August 5, then return home to open their regular season vs. Oregon State on Wednesday, August 12.
Our men’s soccer team will begin their preseason with an exhibition match vs. NC State on Saturday, August 8 at Stone Stadium prior to beginning the regular season on the road on Thursday, August 20.
Our volleyball team will host two exhibitions and an intrasquad scrimmage starting with a match vs. Georgia Southern on Friday, August 14 at the Carolina Volleyball Center before opening their season on Friday, August 28 vs. UNC Greensboro at home.
I encourage you to come check out some soccer and volleyball matches this fall. To check out their schedules and ticket options, click the buttons below.
GAMECOCK GO PASS
The best way to catch all of our fall sports in action is by subscribing to the Gamecock Go Pass! The Go Pass is a monthly subscription mobile ticket plan that’s only $25 a month. With the Go Pass, you’ll receive access to all non-conference home football games (excluding Clemson when that game is at home), most basketball and baseball games and all softball, soccer and volleyball games. You’ll also have the option to purchase tickets for home conference football games and premier basketball and baseball games for an additional fee. The best part, you can choose your seats for each game and there’s no long-term commitment! Subscribe today so you can catch all of the soccer and volleyball games in August for only $25!
GAMECOCK CLUB CHAPTER EVENTS IN AUGUST
As we gear up for the 2026-27 athletic year, our Gamecock Club chapters will be hosting kickoff events. Whether you are a Gamecock Club member or just a Gamecock fan that lives in areas where we have active Gamecock Club chapters, I encourage you to attend one of these events to help build the excitement for the upcoming year. Click the button below to check out our chapters and their upcoming events!
WNBA ALL STARS
Women’s basketball alumnae Aliyah Boston, Allisha Gray and A’ja Wilson were among the 22 players that were selected to play in the 2026 AT&T WNBA All-Star game this past weekend in Chicago. This marks the fourth-straight season the trio has been selected for the honor and makes South Carolina tied for the most alumnae selected! Congratulations to Aliyah, Allisha and A’ja for continuing to make us proud to call you Gamecocks!
ENHANCE YOUR GAME DAY THIS FALL
If you plan on coming to any games this fall at Williams-Brice Stadium this fall, I encourage you to check out our Forever Garnet program. This program was designed to help our fans take their fandom to the next level. Through Forever Garnet Memories, fans can ride the Cockyboose on the field during the greatest entrance of all of college football, take pictures on the field with Cocky and more. Our Williams-Brice Stadium Tours are also back on Fridays before game day and on some Sundays throughout the season. Forever Garnet Memories are now available for purchase for the upcoming season.
BASEBALL UPDATES
Congratulations to sophomore-to-be infielder JD Stein who was selected for the 2026 USA Baseball Collegiate National Team. JD traveled to Taiwan earlier this month to take part in the inaugural World Collegiate Baseball Championship.
Head Coach Kevin Schnall has been busy making additions to his staff. The most recent additions include Stuart Lake as the new Gamecocks’ Director of Program Development/Camp Coordinator, Kyle Lindquist as the team’s defensive coordinator and infield coach and Dan Valerio joining as the assistant recruiting coordinator and field coordinator. They join Chad Oxendine, Bill Cilento, Matt Williams, Matt Pepin, Tyler Shewmaker, Dylan Eskew and Mickey Beach to round out Coach Schnall’s inaugural Carolina coaching staff.
Season tickets for the 2027 season are available for $11 per game. If you aren’t currently a season ticket holder, click the button below to request more information.
GAMECOCK SPORTS PREVIEW PARTY
Limited tickets remain for the annual Gamecock Sports Preview Party presented by Founders Federal Credit Union on Thursday, August 20 at the Pastides Alumni Center. This insider event provides early access to insights from our coaches, hosted by Gamecock legend Connor Shaw. Tickets are on sale now for Gamecock Club and USC Alumni Association members.
I hope you enjoy the few remaining weeks of summer and I look forward to seeing you in a few weeks when competitions for the 2026-27 begin!
FOREVER TO THEE!
