Twenty USC football players entered the transfer portal. Where they landed for 2023
Transfer portal entries are a way of life for every college football team in 2023, and the South Carolina Gamecocks were no exception.
Coach Shane Beamer’s program saw 20 players depart during or after a 2022 season in which USC went 8-4, beat top-10 Tennessee and Clemson teams and reached the Gator Bowl.
That group was primarily composed of longtime backups but also included some prominent starters and young players. With the 2023 football season right around the corner, here’s a roundup of where those former Gamecocks will be playing this fall. Players are listed in order of when they entered the portal.
OT Jordan Davis, South Alabama
Davis joins the Jaguars, who compete in the Sun Belt Conference, after two seasons at USC. The lineman redshirted at South Carolina in 2021 and didn’t appear in a game in 2022.
CB Joey Hunter, Akron
Hunter landed with the Zips, who compete in the MAC, after three seasons with South Carolina. He’d appeared in three games in 2022 and nine career games at USC.
LB Darryle Ware, Texas A&M-Commerce
Ware, an in-state linebacker who appeared in 20 games and recorded 11 career tackles at USC, will compete in 2023 for the Lions of the FCS Southland Conference.
TE Austin Stogner, Oklahoma
Stogner followed former Sooners teammate Spencer Rattler to Columbia for the 2022 season and played in 12 games (10 starts), catching 20 passes for 210 yards and a touchdown for the Gamecocks. But the former All-Big 12 second-teamer opted to return to Oklahoma in 2023 to play for second-year coach Brent Venables.
TE Jaheim Bell, Florida State
Bell, the No. 1 tight end and No. 8 overall player in 247Sports’ transfer rankings, was a big loss for South Carolina. He chose FSU after playing in 30 games (11 starts) over three years at USC. Also a capable running back, Bell finished as South Carolina’s second-leading rusher and third-leading receiver in 2022 amid questions about his usage.
RB MarShawn Lloyd, Southern Cal
Lloyd’s departure was another prominent loss for a USC team now short on running back depth. The former top-100 recruit led South Carolina in rushing yards (573) and total touchdowns (11) last year and should be a top starting option for Southern Cal, a 2023 College Football Playoff contender featuring star quarterback Caleb Williams.
WR Corey Rucker, Arkansas State
It’s back to Jonesboro for Rucker, who starred at Arkansas State for two seasons before transferring to USC last cycle. Rucker appeared in just two games for South Carolina in 2022 before suffering a season-ending injury and now returns to his old stomping grounds.
DE Gilber Edmond, Florida State
247Sports deemed Edmond the No. 3 edge rusher and No. 39 overall portal player before his commitment to FSU, which makes him another big loss for South Carolina. In 2022, Edmond played in 12 games for South Carolina and had 39 tackles, nine tackles for loss and two sacks.
LS Matthew Bailey, Toledo
Bailey transferred to play for the Rockets of the MAC after playing in 26 games over four seasons. He was the team’s backup long snapper in 2022.
DE Hot Rod Fitten, East Tennessee State
Fitten will play his fifth season at ETSU, an FCS school, after appearing in 11 games over four years at South Carolina and going by his nickname on the official roster his last two years.
RB Rashad Amos, Miami (Ohio)
Amos was most productive as a true freshman at South Carolina with 99 rushing yards in three games. But he didn’t play in 2021 and only carried the ball twice in 2022 despite appearing in 10 games. He’ll try to get things back up and rolling in the MAC.
DE Jordan Burch, Oregon
Burch, a consensus five-star recruit, flourished in 2022 with 60 tackles, 7.5 tackles for loss and 3.5 sacks. He was productive and impactful and will certainly be missed by USC’s defense while he’s making plays for the Ducks, who were 9-3 last year in coach Dan Lanning’s debut season.
QB Jalen Daniels, Garden City Community College
Daniels, a walk-on quarterback, was a surprise addition to USC’s 2022 recruiting class and transferred to Kansas’ Garden City after appearing in zero games last year.
OT Colin Henrich, Georgia State
Henrich, who can play guard or center, will get a fresh start under former South Carolina assistant Shawn Elliott in the Sun Belt after two seasons at USC but no game action.
DL Demetrius Watson, Coastal Carolina
Watson, who’s from Charleston, will move closer to home to play for the Chanticleers after spending the 2022 season with USC. Watson worked the scout team at South Carolina and didn’t appear in a game.
QB Braden Davis, Syracuse
Davis, Beamer’s first true quarterback recruit, is moving on in the ACC after failing to gain traction in a quarterback room headlined by Rattler and 2023 signee LaNorris Sellers. He didn’t play in 2022 and was 1 for 3 passing for 13 yards and an interception in the spring game.
DB Cameron Upshaw, Garden City Community College
Upshaw, one of three players suspended from the team earlier this year, will join Daniels at Garden City for 2023. He’d been away from the program since February, following the arrests of former teammates Monteque Rhames and Anthony Rose on felony weapons charges.
Other USC players in transfer portal
Outside of the 17 players above, three other South Carolina players have entered the transfer portal but aren’t on rosters for 2023: defensive back R.J. Roderick, defensive back Tyrese Ross and defensive back Anthony Rose.
Roderick and Ross were listed on the 2023 roster pages for Liberty and Samford, respectively, but they’ve since been removed. Rose, a freshman, had been away from the team since he and Rhames were arrested on weapons charges in February 2023.
This story was originally published July 12, 2023 at 7:00 AM with the headline "Twenty USC football players entered the transfer portal. Where they landed for 2023."
