No. 19 South Carolina has been hit hard by opt-outs, transfers and other varying circumstances that will prevent a full squad from taking on No. 21 Notre Dame in Friday’s TaxSlayer Gator Bowl.
Head coach Shane Beamer spoke Thursday on the transfer portal’s effects on college football in the modern era, noting that he doesn’t let anyone play in the bowl game if they decided they wanted to leave the program .
“In regards to entering the portal and playing, no I don’t let them (play),” Beamer said during his Gator Bowl press conference on Thursday. “Whether that’s right, wrong or indifferent, that’s just kind how I feel. To me, I don’t want someone who’s one foot in and one foot out.
“Frankly, we had a couple players on our team that entered the portal and asked me if they could enter the portal and still play in the bowl game and I told them no, that you’re either with us or you’re not. I don’t mean that in a negative way. I wish everyone well. But I don’t want somebody down here that’s already spending half their time thinking about where their next stop is and things like that.”
The Gamecocks have lost nine scholarship players to the transfer portal since the regular season ended, with four of them major contributors. Beamer did not indicate which of those players asked to play in Friday’s bowl game.
There’s no rule against someone playing for their original team despite being in the transfer portal. Coastal Carolina QB Grayson McCall played for the Chanticleers in the Birmingham Bowl even after putting his name in the portal.
Beamer on Thursday also noted that senior receiver Jalen Brooks will not play in the game due to an off-field issue.
What about MarShawn Lloyd?
It sounds like anyone expecting a reunion between running back MarShawn Lloyd and South Carolina can likely forget about it.
Asked generally about whether players who had entered the transfer portal had an avenue back into the program, if they so choose, Beamer was rather coy Thursday during his Gator Bowl press conference.
“I think each situation is different. I’ll say this, the guys that are in the portal for us or have entered the portal, I tell them that I’ll help you in any way,” Beamer said. “…But I don’t continue to have contact with them where I’m texting them and calling them and asking them to come back.”
A potential return for Lloyd has been a hot topic on social media and message boards in recent weeks.
“They entered the portal for a reason,” Beamer said. “If for some reason they want to reach back out and talk about coming back, we can have that conversation. But I haven’t had that with anyone yet, and I wouldn’t say I anticipate it this year either.”
Lloyd entered the transfer portal on Dec. 12 after leading the Gamecocks in rushing this year. He finished the regular season with 573 yards rushing and nine touchdowns on 111 carries.
His departure came on the heels of losing do-it-all tight end Jaheim Bell as well. With Lloyd sidelined due to a thigh contusion in games against Vanderbilt and Tennessee, Bell worked as the Gamecocks’ starting running back, finishing the year as the team’s second-leading rusher.