South-Carolina
After release of scathing report, McMaster still maintains confidence in SC treasurer
COLUMBIA, S.C. — The day after the release of a scathing report that puts blame on Treasurer Curtis Loftis for a $1.8 billion debacle, Gov. Henry McMaster said he still has confidence in the ability of South Carolina’s elected treasurer to control the state’s money.
But McMaster is calling on Loftis to communicate and work with other state agencies to resolve the issue — something a group of state senators and South Carolina’s comptroller general claim the treasurer has been loath to do to this point.
For months, a Senate subcommittee has been investigating nearly $2 billion in taxpayer money with no known owner and which lawmakers didn’t know about until last fall.
In a report it released Tuesday, the group holds Loftis responsible for this discrepancy, saying his office created the fund containing the money several years ago but never notified the legislature of its existence.
Loftis has claimed he invested the money and generated around $200 million in interest, which he said the legislature has spent, and asserted Comptroller General Brian Gaines, the state’s accountant, bore responsibility for telling lawmakers about it, which Gaines did last October.
In a statement, Loftis said he did not plan to read the report, though his staff would, and decried it as character assassination from a group of lawmakers set on overturning his election to install their own puppet to control the state’s money.
In the report, senators outlined a series of interim recommendations, including a forensic audit to determine the money’s ownership, but they stopped short of calling for Loftis’ removal from office, at the governor’s request.
Sen. Larry Grooms, R – Berkeley and the chair of the subcommittee, said had McMaster not asked them to hold off, it would have been among their recommendations.
The governor made the request after forming a new task force last week, and he wants to give it time to work.
“The main thing is not to, at this point, is not to point blame or try to find error, but to find out the answers about the money: where is it, where was it supposed to go, did any of it get to where it was supposed to go, what was it supposed to be used for, and if it’s really there,” McMaster told reporters Wednesday.
The multiagency group — led by the Department of Administration and including both Loftis and Gaines, at whom the treasurer has assigned much of the blame — has been charged with determining where this money came from by July 1.
“We have to get those answers,” McMaster said. “Otherwise, the public is going to lose complete faith in the system. That’s $1.8 billion.”
The newly released Senate report details that days after a contentious, hours-long hearing between Loftis and Grooms’ subcommittee earlier this month, the treasurer threatened to publish sensitive information on the state’s finances online.
McMaster had to get on the phone to try to stop him, briefly describing their conversation Wednesday.
“That it would be dangerous to do that, and I wish he wouldn’t do it,” the governor said he told Loftis, confirming the story Loftis claimed in a Facebook post Tuesday is “a bold faced lie.”
Grooms said South Carolina’s top law enforcement officer, SLED Chief Mark Keel, and Attorney General Alan Wilson also had to intervene to stop Loftis, and the treasurer ultimately did not publish the information.
Yet McMaster said he still has confidence in Loftis.
“I think as long as we all work together — communicate, collaborate, cooperate, and work for the people and quit fighting among ourselves — we’re going to be just fine,” he said.
When asked what would happen if the task force did not meet McMaster’s July 1 deadline to determine the money’s ownership, the governor said he was confident they would have answers by then.
But Grooms said he did not believe that was feasible and that the only question they may be able to figure out by then is whether and how much of the money is actually real.
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South-Carolina
LIVE: SC AG Alan Wilson, state, national leaders hold press conference on statewide drug busts
Statehouse Reporter Mary Green will have more on this tonight.
COLUMBIA, S.C. (WIS) – South Carolina Attorney General and other officials will be holding a press conference Friday at 9:30 a.m. to talk about statewide drug busts.
Wilson is set to be joined by South Carolina Law Enforcement Division Chief Mark Keel, representatives from the Drug Enforcement Administration and Homeland Security, as well as several local sheriffs and other law enforcement partners.
Watch the full press conference in the video above.
Feel more informed, prepared, and connected with WIS. For more free content like this, subscribe to our email newsletter, and download our apps. Have feedback that can help us improve? Click here.
Copyright 2025 WIS. All rights reserved.
The University of South Carolina’s 2026 football schedule has been unveiled, it was announced tonight on the SEC Network.
The Gamecocks’ 2026 schedule features nine regular-season SEC contests, with five games at home and four on the road. The schedule also includes non-conference games versus Kent State and Towson as part of the seven-game home slate, and a non-conference road contest at Clemson.
After opening the season with three-consecutive home games for the first time since 2014, the Gamecocks will alternate home and road contests throughout the remainder of the schedule. The 2026 schedule features just one open date which will come on week 7 (October 17).
As announced on Monday, the Gamecocks will open the season on Sept. 5 by hosting Kent State. Carolina drubbed the Golden Flashes in its only previous encounter, a 77-14 decision in 1995. Kent State finished the 2025 season with a 5-7 mark overall and a 4-4 record in the Mid-American Conference.
Week 2 will see the Towson Tigers make their first trip to Williams-Brice Stadium. The Tigers compete in the FCS Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) and posted a 6-6 record in 2025 under head coach Pete Shinnick.
The Gamecocks begin their nine-game SEC gauntlet on Sept. 19 when Mississippi State visits Columbia. Carolina has won eight of the last nine meeting with the Bulldogs including a 37-30 win in 2023, the only contest played between the two schools since 2016. The Gamecocks lead the all-time series by a 10-7 margin. Mississippi State is one of seven teams on Carolina’s 2026 schedule that is playing in a post-season game this year.
The Gamecocks first road trip of the 2026 season takes them to Tuscaloosa on Sept. 26 for a date with the Alabama Crimson Tide, one of four teams on South Carolina’s 2026 slate that will appear in this year’s College Football Playoffs. It will mark the third-consecutive season that Carolina and Alabama have squared off, with the Tide narrowly winning the previous two – 27-25 in Tuscaloosa in 2024 and 29-22 in Columbia in 2025.
The Gamecocks and Kentucky Wildcats will meet in Columbia on Oct. 3. The teams met in Williams-Brice Stadium on Sept. 27, 2025, with Carolina prevailing by a 35-13 score, its fourth-straight win in a series they lead 22-14-1.
Carolina wraps up the first half of the season at Florida on Oct. 10. The Gamecocks and Gators met every year on the gridiron from 1992-2023 but have not played in either of the last two seasons. Florida holds a commanding 31-10-3 lead in the all-time series including a 17-2 advantage when playing in The Swamp. Carolina’s last win in Gainesville came in overtime the 2014 season.
After an open date on Oct. 17, the Gamecocks will return to action at home on Oct. 24 against the Tennessee Volunteers. Like Florida, the Gamecocks and Vols met every year from 1992-2023 but have not played in either of the last two seasons. Tennessee leads the all-time series by a 29-13-2 count including a narrow 10-8-2 advantage when the game has been played in Columbia.
The Gamecocks will spend Halloween in Norman playing the Oklahoma Sooners. The teams had never met prior to OU joining the SEC but have played each of the past two seasons with each team winning on the others’ home field.
The Bonham Trophy will be at stake on Nov. 7 when Texas A&M visits Williams-Brice Stadium. The Gamecocks and Aggies have met every year since A&M joined the SEC in 2014. The Aggies hold a 10-2 advantage in the all-time series, but the Gamecocks have won each of the last two meetings in Columbia.
The Gamecocks will travel to Fayetteville, Ark. for just the second time since 2013 when they tangle with the Arkansas Razorbacks on Nov. 14. South Carolina has won three of the last four games with the Hogs, but Arkansas clings to a 14-10 advantage in the all-time series.
The second-longest running series in school history behind only Carolina-Clemson, the Carolina-Georgia rivalry gets renewed on Nov. 21 when the Bulldogs make their way to Columbia from Athens. Georgia has won 55 of the previous 76 meetings between the flagship schools from neighboring states, with the Gamecocks last win coming in 2019.
The 2026 regular season comes to an end on Nov. 28 when the Gamecocks and Clemson Tigers meet in the annual Palmetto Bowl. The 2026 meeting will take place in the Upstate, where the Gamecocks have won each of their last two visits.
SEASON TICKETS
Whether you’ve been attending games for years or want to experience the magic for the first time, it’s not too early to secure your season tickets for the 2026 season. Season tickets are available for as low as $65 per game with a 10-month payment plan option available. Fans interested in purchasing season tickets for the first time, can place a season ticket deposit today for only $50 plus fees or fill out our season ticket interest form to receive more information. Current season ticket holders will receive information soon on how to renew their tickets for the 2026 season and can contact their Gamecock Club Account Representative today to enroll in the 10-month payment plan. For more information on ticket options for the 2026 season, visit 2026 Football Hub.
2026 SOUTH CAROLINA FOOTBALL SCHEDULE
Sept. 5 vs Kent State
Sept. 12 vs Towson
Sept. 19 vs Mississippi State*
Sept. 26 at Alabama*
Oct. 3 vs Kentucky*
Oct. 10 at Florida*
Oct. 17 OPEN DATE
Oct. 24 vs Tennessee*
Oct. 31 at Oklahoma*
Nov. 7 vs Texas A&M*
Nov. 14 at Arkansas*
Nov. 21 vs Georgia*
Nov. 28 at Clemson
*-SEC game
Nebraska is targeting ex-South Carolina offensive line coach Lonnie Teasley for an offensive staff role, according to the Omaha World-Herald’s Sam McKewon. The role itself is still to be determined.
Teasley spent three seasons as the Gamecocks’ offensive line coach. He had been with the program since 2021, serving as an offensive analyst. He assumed on-field coaching duties for the program in 2022.
Teasley was let go by South Carolina in October, ending his time with the program.
In addition to his coaching role, he was a strong recruiter for the Gamecocks. He most recently landed Darius Gray, the top interior offensive line recruit in the 2026 class. He was also able to land four-star offensive tackle Kamari Blair for the class as well.
Nebraska football has undergone several changes on offense over the last couple of days. They hired former Georgia Tech offensive line coach Geep Wade for the same position on Saturday, following the firing of Donovan Raiola.
The program is making sweeping changes on both sides of the football. Adding Teasley to the staff would be important for the program, which needs to be better prepared across all areas.
Contact/Follow us @CornhuskersWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Nebraska news, notes and opinions.
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