South-Carolina
Nyck Harbor impresses and other observations from South Carolina football’s Sunday practice
COLUMBIA — South Carolina football held practice on Sunday morning, a day after the Gamecocks’ first scrimmage of the 2024 preseason.
Coach Shane Beamer said Saturday that the scrimmage consisted of about 103 reps, giving South Carolina a chance to play in Williams-Brice Stadium before the season opener on Aug. 31 against Old Dominion.
Sunday marked the ninth practice for the Gamecocks, who officially began their preseason on Aug. 2. Here are observations and notes from practice:
South Carolina football injury update from Aug. 11
Beamer listed eight players that didn’t participate in Saturday’s scrimmage, but said he believed everyone would be back by Sunday.
At practice on Sunday, offensive linemen Markee Anderson and Jakai Moore were once again working with trainers like they were on Friday. Tight end Reid Mikeska, who sat out Saturday’s scrimmage, and running back Bradley Dunn joined Moore and Anderson on the sidelines.
Senior edge rusher Elijah Davis missed the scrimmage and was not seen at practice on Sunday and defensive back Jalewis Solomon was not in full pads.
Beamer got four of the Gamecocks back, most notably running back Rocket Sanders, who didn’t scrimmage on Saturday but was participating in every drill Sunday. Juju McDowell, Vandrevius Jacobs, and Bam Martin-Scott returned as well.
South Carolina’s offense, wide receivers for 2024
For the first time this preseason, South Carolina ran offensive drills during the open media section of practice. Four quarterbacks threw at the same time while the wide receivers rotated catching passes into the end zone.
Beamer made it clear during his press conference Saturday that there is no depth chart right now.
Nyck Harbor, the 6-foot-5 sophomore receiver, had a great snag in the corner of the end zone from sixth-year transfer Davis Beville. The 6-6 quarterback has spent two years at Pittsburgh and two at Oklahoma. It’s unlikely he gets reps this season, as Beamers hinted the No. 2 option is Auburn transfer Robby Ashford.
Freshman tight end Mike Smith impresses Shane Beamer
During a goal line 1-on-1 drill, freshman tight end Michael Smith made a great play to separate himself from Nick Emmanwori and complete the pass from Ashford before falling out of bounds.
The play happened right in front of Beamer, who let his rookie know he saw and appreciated that play. Smith also scored a touchdown on Saturday.
The Gamecocks are without former tight end Trey Knox this season who was an NFL free agent signee with the Minnesota Vikings. Knox caught 37 passes for 312 yards last season and scored twice. South Carolina does return sixth-year player Josh Simon, whose expected to be the go-to TE this year. He caught 28 passes for 256 yards in 2023.
BEAMER ON SATURDAY: What South Carolina’s Shane Beamer said about first scrimmage, Rocket Sanders’ health
Lulu Kesin covers South Carolina athletics for The Greenville News and the USA TODAY Network. Email her at lkesin@gannett.com and follow her on X, formerly known as Twitter, @Lulukesin
Columbia, Mo. — The South Carolina softball team (25-21, 4-13) dropped the second game of its series at Missouri (24-23, 7-10) 5-0 Saturday night (Apr. 18).
Kai Byars led the Gamecocks with a pair of doubles on the night. It was her second multi-hit game of the season and her first game with multiple extra base hits.
The Tigers scored a run in the third inning without the aid of a hit. They would extend the lead and add four more in the fourth.
Carolina’s best opportunity for a run came in third. Byars doubled to lead off the inning and Shae Anderson followed with a bunt single. A double play on a potential sacrifice fly ended the rally.
Emma Friedel (8-4) took the loss, allowing one run on no hits in 3 1-3 innings. She struck out six and walked three.
The rubber game of the series will be tomorrow at 2 p.m. ET.
Audi Crooks on being in the transfer portal
USAT’s Sam Cardona-Norberg catches up with college basketball star Audi Crooks, who is still looking for her next team.
Sports Seriously
Jordan Lee entered the transfer portal after a breakout season at Texas and the junior guard isn’t going too far. She’s staying in the Southeastern Conference.
Lee announced on Instagram Friday that she’s transferring to South Carolina to play for Dawn Staley after spending the first two years of her collegiate career at Texas under Vic Schaefer. Lee captioned her Instagram post, which featured a video montage of her visit to Columbia, South Carolina, “Feeling cocky.”
Lee was one of four players from Texas to enter the transfer portal after the Longhorns’ second consecutive trip to the Final Four ended in a devastating loss to UCLA. She was named to the All-Region team in the Fort Worth 3 bracket in this year’s NCAA Tournament following her Sweet 16 and Elite Eight performance, where she recorded 22 points, six assists, three rebounds and four steals while also providing strong defense.
After being limited to five starts her freshman year, Lee slid into the starting lineup last season and started a career-high 38 games. She also averaged career highs in points (13.2), assists (2.5), rebounds (2.5), steals (1.5), field-goal percentage (42%) and free-throw percentage (75%), while shooting 34% from 3-point range.
Texas’ Aaliyah Crump, Justice Carlton and Aaliyah Moore also entered the transfer portal. On Friday, Crump announced she’s transferring to Duke, citing her connection with head coach Kara Lawson.
“For me, choosing Duke University goes far beyond one sentence. The moment I connected with Kara Lawson and her coaching staff, I knew I was exactly where I belonged,” said Crump, who averaged 7.9 points, 2.3 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game her freshman season at Texas.
Crump continued: “Their dedication and vision for the program is truly special, and I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to be a part of it. The connection Coach Lawson and I have built is one of a kind, and I fully trust in her plan for the success of this program. I can’t wait to be coached by genuine people who support my growth not only as a basketball player, but as a person as well.”
Three-time All-American Madison Booker and junior starting forward Breya Cunningham are expected to return to Texas.
Contributing: Mitchell Northam
Reach USA TODAY National Women’s Sports Reporter Cydney Henderson at chenderson@gannett.com and follow her on X at @CydHenderson.
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Each offseason, the NFL shakes up the landscape with free agency, as some of the top names at each position move around the league to new teams. The New Orleans Saints have fallen victim to this in 2026 so far, with Demario Davis and Alontae Taylor both moving on, and Cameron Jordan not having re-signed as of yet. Cornerback was a position that could already use a talent influx alongside Kool-Aid McKinstry and Quincy Riley; now, it is even more of an issue.
Adding a new defensive back to fill the STAR role for the defense is certainly going to be a focus this spring, and that has been clear from the Saints’ pre-draft meetings. Recently, they added another name to the growing list; this time, it was South Carolina prospect Jalon Kilgore.
There is a lot to like about Kilgore, especially in that nickel or STAR role long term. He is enormously athletic and absolutely rapid both in straight-line testing and on the field. He got a decent chunk of his collegiate snaps at slot corner, 1,382 to be exact, but also had 541 in the box, 238 at free safety, 53 along the defensive line, and 24 as an outside corner.
His coverage metrics in 2025 were very solid, as on 65 targets, he allowed 34 receptions (52.3%) for 390 yards and 2 touchdowns. He picked up 2 interceptions, 10 pass deflections, 54 total tackles, and 2 fumble recoveries in 694 total snaps this season. Throughout the combine, he ended up performing well in pretty much every drill, which bodes well for his ability to translate to the NFL. If the Saints are looking to add someone with slot experience already, Kilgore may be one of the best options available.
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