#STRecruiting: #Gamecocks add another OL from the Portal

South Carolina Tuesday took in another football refugee from the Transfer Portal. OG Kamaar Bell (6-2 300) announced he is joining the Gamecocks as a transfer from FAU. He began his career at Auburn.

Bell is a native of Moultrie, GA. He started all 12 games for the Owls this past season and worked primarily at right guard. 

He arrived at Auburn in 2019 and redshirted that season. He played in one game for the Tigers in 2020 and then entered the Portal. He will have one season of eligibility with the Gamecocks.

Bell is the 18th scholarship transfer taken by the Gamecocks this off-season. He is the 34th newcomer for the 2024 season.

Here’s more on Bell from his FAU bio:

At FAU
Redshirt Junior

• Drew the start at RG in the season opening win over Monmouth
• Worked as an OL starter versus Ohio
• Started as the Owls’ right guard at Clemson
• Part of Illinois starting unit that started their fourth-straight game together
• Saw action on every offensive snap and added six special team snaps in the Owls win over Tulsa
• Versus UTSA, was part of a starting five that began their seventh game together
• At Charlotte, was part of an O-line that started their eighth game together and just one of 16 teams nationally to do so
• One of 11 starting units nationally to be a part of the same starting rotation through eight games, with his UAB start
• Drew the start in the Owls’ ECU contest
• A starter on a consistent unit that is one of only nine nationally to start every game, with his Tulane start
• Versus Rice, started his 12th game to ended the season on a starting unit that was just one of nine nationally to start the same OL each of the 12 regular-season games

Redshirt Sophomore (2022)

• Drew the start in the season opening 43-13 win over Charlotte and was part of a unit that provided protection for 218 rushing yards and 256 passing yards
• Worked the Ohio game as a starting guard
• Part of a line that protected an Owls offense that tallied over 600 total yards in a win over Southeastern Louisiana
• Saw action versus UCF
• Part of a line rotation in the Owls’ 17-14 win over Rice
• Saw action at UTEP
• Drew the start in Shula Bowl XXI and contributed to the 52-7 victory over FIU
• Drew the start at Middle Tennessee to continue the lines continuity
• Ended the season with a start against WKU

Redshirt Freshman (2021)

• Joined the Owls and made an immediate impact with starts at Florida and versus Georgia Southern
• Drew starts versus Fordham and at Air Force
• Part of a starting five rotation that has been together through the first five games and it show with 704 total yards and saw 11 different players touch the ball in the Owls’ 58-21 win over FIU in Shula Bowl XX
• Saw action and started at UAB
• Started his seventh-consecutive game and was part of a line that was praised for its play in a 38-9 road win at Charlotte
• Mainstay of the line and was instrumental in the Owls’ C-USA win over UTEP
• Instrumental on a starting line that protected for a run game that tallied 243 yards versus Marshall
• Worked and started at right guard versus ODU
• Worked at RG versus WKU
• Closed out his 2021 season with a start, his 12th of the year, versus MT

At Auburn (2019-20)

• Appeared in one game in 2020, against LSU, before entering the transfer portal
• Redshirted his first year with the Tigers

High School

• Two-time GHSAA 1-7A All-Region First Team member
• Credited with 151 pancake blocks in three years, and 33 games, at CCHS
• That included 67 in 12 games as a senior; and 53 in 13 games the year prior
• Led Packers to a 14-1 final season and state championship game appearance, the No. 1 ranking in the state of Georgia and No. 14 national MaxPreps ranking
• Named the team’s Offensive Player of the Year, as they outscored opponents by an average of 39.3 to 10.4
• His junior season, the Packers were 11-4, and won four games in their postseason playoff run

Personal

• Criminal justice major
• Chose Auburn over Florida, Florida State, Alabama, West Virginia, Kentucky, Louisville, UCF, USF and many others
• Ranked No. 18 (ESPN), No. 24 (Rivals), and No. 34 (247Sports) nationally among offensive guard prospects
• ESPN rated him as a four-star recruit, with an 80 scout grade and as the No. 49 overall player in the state of Georgia, while Rivals had him at No. 55 in GA and 24/7 at No. 63