The good thing about a revolving door is that it not only spins to the outside, but it also spins to the inside as well. Fortunately for South Carolina over the last day or so, two of its top players chose to come back into the building through that revolving door.
First, on Tuesday, it was reported that cornerback Jalewis Solomon was going to enter the Transfer Portal. That would have been a significant loss because Lewis is regarded as one of the most talented players the Gamecocks have in their secondary. He’s only played in seven games in two seasons, and has only made three tackles, but there’s a reason Texas A&M, Auburn, Florida State, and Kentucky wanted him as well out of high school, and that’s because the potential is there.
Cornerback is a thin area on the Gamecock roster with only Judge Collier and Vicari Swain returning players with experience. The Gamecocks have signed Quay’sheed Scott as a free agent from Kentucky, and they have two coming in from the high school ranks.
Then on Wednesday morning, the news was broken by Matt Zenitz that two-year starting left tackle Josiah Thompson had withdrawn his name from the Portal and would return to the Gamecocks. Thompson published one of those goodbye notes to Gamecock fans on January 3rd, and even took a visit to Georgia. He also was scheduled to visit Miami. In fact, at least one recruiting service had projected him to sign with the Hurricanes.
So, either Thompson couldn’t find the financial deal he was seeking in free agency, or the opportunity to be a starter somewhere else wasn’t there. Whatever the reason, he now plans to be back with the Gamecocks, and Shane Beamer has to be happy about that. But, only if Thompson improves his performance from last season.
Like the rest of the Gamecock offensive line, Thompson struggled as a sophomore, taking a step back from his Freshman All-American season. PFF stats showed Thompson allowed seven sacks this past season, and his overall grade was down from 2024.
Thompson’s return gives the Gamecocks six veteran, scholarship offensive linemen who are returning from this past season. The Gamecocks have signed six free agent offensive linemen, and there are three others they have been linked to. They also signed three high school offensive linemen in December.
Surprised he let Thompson back. Seems like an act of desperation- a coach forgoing core principles of a strong inner-culture at the expense of winning now at all costs.
“So, either Thompson couldn’t find the financial deal he was seeking in free agency, or the opportunity to be a starter somewhere else wasn’t there.” Or, the Gamecocks made him a better deal.