South Carolina WR Brian Rowe Jr. Expected to Enter Transfer Portal
It looks like South Carolina will be without one of its most promising young receivers heading into 2025. Freshman wideout Brian Rowe Jr. is expected to enter the transfer portal when it officially opens on January 2, according to his agent.
Rowe came into Columbia with plenty of buzz as a four-star recruit, and at times during his freshman campaign, he showed why. He finished the season with 19 catches for 149 yards and a touchdown - not eye-popping numbers on the surface, but solid production for a first-year player navigating SEC defenses and working to carve out a role in a crowded receiver room.
Rowe’s season, however, wasn’t without its bumps. He was suspended for the Oklahoma game due to what head coach Shane Beamer called a “violation of team standards,” and he saw minimal action in the season finale against Clemson. That late-season slide raised some eyebrows, especially considering how involved he’d been earlier in the year.
The freshman was part of a highly touted 2025 recruiting class that brought in a wave of young talent at wide receiver. Alongside fellow newcomers Donovan Murph, Lex Cyrus, Jordon Gidron, Malik Clark, and Jayden Sellers, Rowe was expected to help shape the future of South Carolina’s passing game. Murph, Sellers, and Rowe ended up seeing the most snaps from that group, giving fans a glimpse of what could’ve been a dynamic core down the line.
Now, with Rowe set to explore his options elsewhere, the Gamecocks will need to regroup and re-evaluate their depth at wide receiver heading into the offseason. His departure marks the sixth scholarship player from South Carolina to announce plans to transfer, joining tight end Michael Smith, defensive lineman Zavion Hardy, linebacker Jaron Willis, and offensive linemen Nick Sharpe and Trovon Baugh.
For Rowe, the move could be a fresh start and a chance to reset after a rollercoaster of a freshman year. For South Carolina, it’s another reminder of how fluid rosters have become in the transfer portal era - and how quickly programs have to adapt.