South Carolina made a late move that could end up mattering a lot more than just adding another body to the roster.
On Thursday, just three days before the Gamecocks open the 2026 season against Kent State, USC signed Houston transfer kicker Ethan Sanchez, the school announced. CBS Sports’ Matt Zenitz first reported the addition.
Sanchez’s path to Columbia traces back to a Colorado District Court ruling from three weeks ago that opened the door for Class of 2022 student-athletes who had used up their four years of eligibility to return for a fifth season. Sanchez fits that group perfectly. He graduated high school in 2022, then spent three seasons at Old Dominion from 2022-24 and last year at Houston.
He also had a brush with the NFL, participating in a rookie minicamp with the San Francisco 49ers. But because he never signed with a pro team, his move to South Carolina would likely not run afoul of the SEC’s new policy on pros returning to college. That same wrinkle is why the Gamecocks were able to add former Appalachian State cornerback Ethan Johnson.
The bigger question now is what Sanchez means on the field. South Carolina may have just brought in its best kicking option, and possibly its starter.
Last season at Houston, Sanchez was a Lou Groza Award semifinalist after hitting 21 of 26 field-goal tries and delivering three game-winning field goals, defined as go-ahead kicks in the final three minutes. Two of those winners came in walk-off fashion, against Oregon State from 24 yards and Arizona from 41.
He now joins a competition that already included sophomore Max Kelley, Texas Tech transfer Upton Bellenfant and Malik Orsan, who arrived from Southest Missouri State over the summer. Sanchez is easily the most decorated kicker in that group.
That’s a notable development given what Shane Beamer said earlier this month. On Aug. 18, the South Carolina coach said he had “no concerns about the kicker position,” but added, “no one has really separated themselves yet. I wish they would.”
In that same answer, Beamer said Kelley, Bellenfant and Orsan were “the only three competing and those are the only three who will continue to compete.”
Ten days later, that changed, which suggests Beamer and special teams coordinator Matthew Smiley have not loved what they’ve seen from the kickers in preseason camp.
Now Sanchez gets the chance to change the conversation.
In Other News...
South Carolinas Home Opener Is Creating A Columbia Traffic Headache
A noon kickoff at Williams-Brice Stadium is already enough to reshape a Saturday in Columbia, and South Carolinas 2026 home opener against Kent State is set to do exactly that. With the game landing on Labor Day weekend and a 12:45 p.m. start, officials are bracing for the kind of traffic squeeze that tends to hit well before fans ever get inside the stadium.
For Gamecock fans, the message is simple enough: plan early or risk getting caught in the mess around the stadium. Advance parking purchases, shuttle use and steering clear of the area altogether if you are not headed to the game are all being pushed as ways to ease the buildup, because once the usual pregame crowds mix with holiday weekend traffic, Columbia is likely to feel it long before kickoff. [Read more 🡒]
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For a program that often measures progress in wins and losses, Rice represented a different kind of impact, one tied to opportunity, facilities and the broader identity of the school. South Carolina plans to honor him ahead of the football season opener on Sept. 5, a reminder that some of the figures most important to a program are the ones whose work shapes far more than what happens on Saturdays. [Read more 🡒]
Clemson's Week 1 Opener Just Got Dragged Into LSU Eligibility Drama
A Louisiana judge has cleared the way for LSU to add former NFL players DaeQuan Wright and Zxavian Harris to its roster, ruling them eligible for the season despite both having signed rookie contracts and appeared in preseason games. The decision blocks the SEC and NCAA from enforcing their no pro players rule against the two athletes, and it comes just as LSU is preparing for its opener against Clemson.
For South Carolina fans keeping one eye on the Tigers schedule, the ruling adds another layer to a Week 1 matchup that is already being watched closely around the league. Even with eligibility secured, it is still unclear whether Wright or Harris will actually be available for the game because of acclimatization requirements, and there is still the question of possible SEC penalties hanging over the situation. [Read more 🡒]