It’s game week in Columbia, and South Carolina opens the 2026 season on Saturday against Kent State at Williams-Brice Stadium.
The kickoff is set for 12:45 p.m., with the game airing on SEC Network and ESPN+. VegasInsider lists the Gamecocks as 36.5-point favorites, with the over-under sitting at 53.5.
This will be only the second meeting between the programs. South Carolina won the first one, 77-14, back in October 1995. In that game, the late Steve Taneyhill threw for 263 yards and four touchdowns.
South Carolina comes into the opener after a 4-8 season and with a revamped staff under Shane Beamer, who is entering his sixth year. The biggest offensive changes came with the additions of Kendal Briles as offensive coordinator and Randy Clements as offensive line coach, both brought in from TCU as the Gamecocks try to spark a unit that struggled a year ago. USC finished 104th nationally in scoring at 21.3 points per game and 116th in rushing at 111 yards per game.
The roster also looks different. South Carolina has 42 new players, including 25 transfers.
Kent State arrives after a 5-7 season that included three losses to Power 4 opponents - Texas Tech, Florida State and Oklahoma. Even so, the Flashes’ five wins marked their best season since 2022 and a major jump after going winless in 2024.
Mark Carney is in his second season as head coach after serving as interim coach before being promoted to the full-time job on Oct. 30.
The Flashes return seven starters on offense but only two on defense. They were picked to finish eighth in the 13-team MAC.
For South Carolina, all eyes will be on quarterback LaNorris Sellers. He’s entering his third season as a starter after a junior year that fell short of expectations following preseason Heisman buzz. Sellers chose to return instead of entering the NFL Draft, and the hope inside the program is that Briles can help him rediscover the form he showed in 2024.
Linebacker Fred Johnson is another key name for the Gamecocks. The Virginia native has been a fixture since arriving on campus and is one of the defense’s leaders.
He finished third on the team with 61 tackles, including 3.5 for loss, and a sack. South Carolina’s linebacker group, which also includes Shawn Murphy and Justin Okoronkwo, is expected to be a strength on that side of the ball.
Kent State has its own playmakers worth tracking, starting with quarterback Dru DeShields. The redshirt junior earned second-team preseason All-MAC honors and finally got a healthy season last year after suffering three ACL injuries since his senior year at West Branch High School in Ohio. After redshirting his first two college seasons, he broke out in 2025 with 2,030 passing yards, 18 touchdowns and three interceptions.
Wide receiver and kick returner Da’Realyst Clark brings a different kind of threat. He picked up first-team MAC recognition and preseason All-American honors from ESPN, Sporting News, Walter Camp and Athlon Sports. Clark led the country with two kickoff returns for touchdowns and ranked fourth nationally in kickoff return average at 28.3 yards.
South Carolina’s schedule after Kent State includes Towson on Sept. 12, Mississippi State on Sept. 19, a trip to Alabama on Sept.
26, Kentucky on Oct. 3, Florida on Oct. 10, a bye week on Oct.
17, Tennessee on Oct. 24, Oklahoma on Oct.
31, Texas A&M on Nov. 7, Arkansas on Nov.
14, Georgia on Nov. 21 and Clemson on Nov. 28.
Games against Kentucky, Oklahoma and Georgia are listed as flex matchups.
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McLeod spent two seasons with Georgia and appeared in 25 games there, giving him a real role in a program that has been among the sports standard-bearers. For South Carolina, his exit from the game closes the book on a player who once looked like part of the rosters future, only for his career path to keep changing along the way. [Read more 🡒]
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For a South Carolina audience, the intrigue is obvious because any debate over Mannings ceiling inevitably circles back to the games and defenses he will face in the SEC. His college rsum is still being sorted through, and the comparison game has only intensified as evaluators weigh what he has shown so far against what an NFL team might demand from a future franchise passer. [Read more 🡒]