South Carolina football is back in the building.
After 251 days away from the field, Shane Beamer and the Gamecocks open preseason practice on Aug. 7, with the 2026 season already sitting on the horizon. South Carolina is trying to turn the page on a 4-8 year and get back to the kind of rhythm Beamer has alternated between during his time in Columbia.
The opener comes Sept. 5 at 12:45 p.m. ET on SEC Network, when Kent State visits Williams-Brice Stadium.
Beamer’s five seasons have followed a strange up-and-down script. South Carolina went 7-6 in 2021, climbed to 8-5 in 2022, slipped to 5-7 in 2023, then posted a career-best 9-4 mark before last year’s losing record pulled the pendulum back the other way. The hope now is that the swing heads back in South Carolina’s favor.
There are still plenty of questions to sort through once practice begins, starting with health.
Jacarrius Peak, the transfer offensive lineman from NC State, sat out spring after injuring his knee in a team-related basketball game in February. Dylan Stewart spent spring resting and recovering from a nagging back injury. Beamer said both players are “on schedule” and have been in the weight room, but their status and any limitations for the first practice haven’t been nailed down.
Quarterback remains another spot worth watching. LaNorris Sellers enters as a third-year starter, but Beamer has not named a backup.
Without a spring game because of Williams-Brice Stadium renovations, the depth chart picture stayed murky. In April, Beamer said Sellers and sophomore Cutter Woods handled a lot of the two-minute work, while junior Lucian Anderson and freshman Landon Duckworth split third-team reps.
South Carolina does bring back a solid core of starters from 2025. That group includes Sellers, Nyck Harbor, Brady Hunt, Shedrick Sarratt Jr., Josiah Thompson, Stewart, Peyton Williams, Judge Collier, Justin Okoronkwo and Fred “JayR” Johnson.
The roster has also been reshaped through the portal. South Carolina added Bowling Green quarterback Lucian Anderson, Tennessee running back Christian Clark, Penn State running back Jabree Coleman, Purdue wide receiver Nitro Tuggle, Oklahoma wide receiver Jayden Gibson, UCF wide receiver DJ Black, Holy Cross wide receiver Charly Mullaly, NC State offensive lineman Jacarrius Peak, East Carolina offensive lineman Emmanuel Poku, UCF offensive lineman Carter Miller, Northern Arizona offensive lineman Seth Smith, Ferris State offensive lineman Dayne Arnett, New Mexico State offensive lineman Armando Nieves, Purdue offensive lineman Hank Purvis, Missouri State offensive lineman Ebubedike Nnabugwu, UCF tight end Max Drag, Illinois defensive lineman Tomiwa Durojaiye, Tennessee edge Caleb Herring, Alabama defensive lineman Kelby Collins, Georgia defensive lineman Jordan Thomas, Arkansas State edge Drew Collins, Kentucky defensive back Quay'sheed Scott, Texas Tech kicker Upton Bellenfant and Western Carolina long snapper Emmet Rhoades.
The recruiting haul was a strong one too. South Carolina signed 19 players in the 2026 class, a group that ranked No. 15 nationally and No. 8 in the SEC. The class includes edge Julian Walker, edge Kennan Britt, safety Triston Lewis, cornerbacks KJ Johnson, Kosci Barnes and J’Zavien Currence, linebacker Andrew Harris, defensive linemen Aiden Harris and Noah Clark, quarterback Landon Duckworth, offensive tackles Zyon Guiles, Ashton Mozone and Neff Giwa, offensive linemen Anthony Baxter and Darius Gray, wide receivers Sequel Patterson, Caden Ramsey and Stone Furrey, and long snapper Matthew Oh.
And the schedule is already loaded. After Kent State, South Carolina hosts Towson on Sept. 12 at 7 p.m.
ET on SEC Network+, then Mississippi State on Sept. 19 at 4:15 p.m. ET on SEC Network.
The Gamecocks head to Alabama on Sept. 26, host Kentucky on Oct. 3, travel to Florida on Oct. 10, welcome Tennessee on Oct. 24, go to Oklahoma on Oct. 31, host Texas A&M on Nov. 7, visit Arkansas on Nov. 14, host Georgia on Nov. 21 and finish at Clemson on Nov. 28.
In Other News...
South Carolina Just Lost A Backcourt Piece It Was Counting On
South Carolinas backcourt picture changed in a hurry this week, with the Gamecocks forced to revisit how they will organize things at point guard before the new season gets rolling. Coach Dawn Staley confirmed the move and said the program remains supportive of Maddy McDaniel and her family, a reminder that roster changes can carry a personal side even as they ripple through the depth chart.
McDaniel had been expected to be a key part of the lineup, so her departure leaves South Carolina with a real adjustment to make in the guard rotation. The staff now has to sort through other options at the position and decide who can handle the job when the season starts, a task that adds another layer of urgency to an offseason already full of roster planning. [Read more 🡒]
Cocky Just Gave South Carolina Fans Another Reason To Celebrate
South Carolina fans have another point of pride to add to the list: Cocky is headed to the Mascot Hall of Fame. The University of South Carolinas longtime mascot was elected as part of the 2026 class, earning one of five spots through a global fan vote that underscored just how recognizable the Gamecocks feathered figure has become.
The Hall of Fame pointed to Cockys track record and the broad support behind the campaign, a reminder that the mascots appeal reaches well beyond Columbia. For a program that already leans into its identity as much as South Carolina does, the honor gives fans one more reason to celebrate a brand that has never shied away from being a little different. [Read more 🡒]
Gamecocks Open Camp Still Waiting On Key Injured Linemen
South Carolina is heading into preseason camp with a familiar August balancing act, trying to get the roster ramped up while still protecting a few key pieces on the injury list. Shane Beamer said Dylan Stewart and Jacarrius Peak are making progress, but neither will be ready to practice fully right away, leaving the Gamecocks to manage their early workload carefully as camp gets started.
The bigger concern is along the line, where Josiah Thompson and Jackson Repp are already out for the season, and Josh Smith is still working back from an injury. Beamer also noted that a handful of other players are dealing with minor injuries or limitations carried over from previous seasons, so the opening stretch of camp will be as much about availability as evaluation for a team that needs depth to hold up. [Read more 🡒]