South Carolina’s transfer haul has already started to shape the roster on defense and in the kicking game, and through four games there’s a pretty clear picture of which additions are making noise and which ones are still waiting for their turn.
The most productive newcomer so far has been defensive tackle Tomiwa Durojaiye. The 6-foot-4, 291-pound lineman leads the Gamecocks’ defensive linemen with 13 tackles, and he’s added three tackles for loss and two sacks to that total. He has put together at least three tackles in every game, with his busiest outing coming against Towson in Week 2, when he finished with four stops.
Kelby Collins has also carved out a role in Travian Robertson’s room. In his first season at South Carolina, Collins has been credited with five tackles.
Three of those came in the SEC opener against the Bulldogs. He did leave last weekend’s game against Alabama early after being poked in the eye and had to go to the hospital during the game, but he is not listed on the availability report and is expected to play Saturday against Kentucky.
Georgia transfer Jordan Thomas has been steady as well, posting five tackles with one tackle for loss across four games. He had two tackles against Alabama and Towson, and his tackle for loss came against the Crimson Tide.
At EDGE, Caleb Herring has started all four games but the production hasn’t followed yet. The Tennessee transfer has three total tackles and has not recorded a sack or a tackle for loss.
He logged one tackle in each of the first three games. With Stewart out Saturday, South Carolina will need Herring and the rest of the EDGE group to take on more against Kentucky.
Drew Collins, Kelby Collins’ brother, has appeared in the first three games of the season and has one tackle. That stop came in the opener against Kent State.
In the secondary, Quay'sheed Scott has been one of the more interesting transfer pieces. The Kentucky transfer came back to his home state and spent preseason camp battling Gerald Kilgore for the nickel job.
Through the first three games, the two split reps, but against Alabama, Scott played 42 snaps while Kilgore was on the field for 12. Scott has totaled five tackles and two pass breakups, and he’ll see his former team this weekend when Kentucky comes to Williams-Brice Stadium.
Ethan Johnson arrived late after getting another year of eligibility, and the Appalachian State transfer has only seen limited work. He played in the first two games against Kent State and Towson, logging nine snaps in all, but he hasn’t recorded a stat.
South Carolina also had to sort out its special teams after losing its starting kicker from a year ago, and the portal brought in plenty of competition. Malik Orsan came in during the summer after one season at Southeast Missouri State and won the job.
He and Max Kelley shared extra-point duties against Kent State, but Orsan took over against Mississippi State and delivered, making all four of his attempts, including kicks from 51 and 52 yards. He’s 5-of-6 on field goals so far.
Upton Bellenfant, who arrived after stops at Alabama, Buffalo and Texas Tech, has not played in the first four games. Ethan Sanchez joined the team just a few days before the opener against Kent State, but after sitting out the first two games, Shane Beamer said after the Towson game that Sanchez was not able to play.
"Right now, he's not able to play. Trying to get a little more clarity on some things.
Working through that. Optimistic he'll be able to play here as we go forward, but didn't feel comfortable putting him in the game last Saturday, that's why he wasn't dressed.
Like I said, we're working through that. Hopefully, we'll get a little more clarity on that."
South Carolina also added Emmet Rhoades at long snapper.
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The result carried a little extra weight for Lugoff-Elgin, which had not beaten Westwood in two years and now gets a 1-0 start in region action. For a team trying to build momentum through the heart of the schedule, it was the kind of performance that can settle a locker room down and send a message before the tougher region tests start stacking up. [Read more 🡒]