South Carolina’s offense might be falling apart with departures for the Transfer Portal, but the Gamecocks’ defensive coordinator, Clayton White, is going to have a very strong nucleus to work with as things stand now.
So far, only linebacker Jaron Willis and cornerback Myles Norwood are the only contributors from last season who are transferring. Of course, defensive end Dylan Stewart has already announced his intention to return for a third season. And Saturday, the starting linebacker trio all said they will be back for the 2026 season. Those three constitute three of the top four returning tacklers.
Fred Johnson, Shawn Murphy and Justin Okoronkwo should give the Gamecocks one of the better linebacker groups in the SEC.
Johnson has started 12 of 25 games in his career and has 40 tackles. Okoronkwo started eight of 12 games this season and had 64 tackles. And Murphy started four of 12 games this season and had 49 tackles.
Add to those three linebackers an experienced group up front and four veterans in the secondary, and the Gamecocks likely will field another competitive defensive unit in 2026.