South-Carolina
SC leaders applaud Qatar deal for Boeing jets, question raised about $400M gifted plane
South Carolina leaders reacted to President Donald Trump’s recent visit to Qatar — where he finalized a deal to sell American jets to Qatar’s fleet and was offered a $400 million jet as a gift from the prime minister.
Trump returned to the United States on May 16 after a four-day visit to Middle Eastern countries. Part of the tour included a stop in Qatar, where Trump signed an agreement to create an economic exchange worth $1.2 trillion, according to the White House.
That agreement included a $96 billion agreement to sell hundreds of Boeing jets to Qatar Airways. Boeing will produce 210 777X and 787 Dreamliner jets, which are built in South Carolina, to join Qatar Airways’ fleet.
The White House issued a statement on the sale that claims the agreement is Boeing’s “largest-ever widebody order and largest-ever 787 order.”
Boeing built its first South Carolina 787 Dreamliner in April 2012. The North Charleston manufacturing facility became the only producer of the Dreamliner in the United States in 2021, when the company moved production from its Everett, Washington, facility.
Republican U.S. Rep. William Timmons (SC-4th District) said that trade negotiations between the U.S. and foreign nations are going well — and while there are a lot of difficult changes underway, those factors create a “perfect storm” that strengthens the U.S. economy.
“It’s just exciting,” Timmons said. “All the ingredients are getting right in the next few months.”
Boeing Commercial Airplane President Stephanie Pope said the company is honored that Qatar Airways has placed the record-breaking order.
“Our team is looking forward to building 787s and 777s for Qatar Airways into the next decade as they connect more people and businesses around the world with unmatched efficiency and comfort,” Pope said.
South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster addressed the deal on May 15 while he met with state leaders on storm preparedness for the upcoming Atlantic hurricane season.
“We’ve done a lot of business with Qatar,” McMaster said. “The work that he’s (Trump’s) done over there is just remarkable.”
Trump faced criticism from key Republican and Democratic lawmakers earlier this week when he posted on Truth Social that the Department of Defense was offered a Boeing 747 as a gift from Qatari leaders.
“The fact that the Defense Department is getting a GIFT, FREE OF CHARGE, of a 747 aircraft to replace the 40-year-old Air Force One, temporarily, in a very public and transparent transaction, so bothers the Crooked Democrats,” the president said.
Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley was among critics of the president’s potential acceptance of the jet. She also posted about the matter on social media and said that accepting gifts from foreign nations is never a good practice.
“Regardless of how beautiful the plane may be, it opens a door and implies the President and US can be bought,” Haley said. “If this were Biden, we would be furious.
Reporter Bella Carpentier covers the South Carolina legislature, state and Greenville County politics. Contact her at bcarpentier@gannett.com.
South-Carolina
ICYMI: South Carolina Adds Several 2027 Targets During Huge Recruiting Week
Shane Beamer and the Gamecocks had a nice last seven days on the recruiting ground as they have landed three players and in the top five of some elite talent. Here’s everything you missed recruiting wise from last week and an updated look at the Gamecocks’ 2027 class.
Judah Lancaster, the team’s most recent commit, is a 6-foot-5 and 230+ pound tight end from Brentwood Academy in Brentwood, Tennessee. His weight and frame are the type of build power four teams covet. Having a great tight end can create mismatches for modern college football offenses. Should Lancaster become that level of player, future Gamecock quarterbacks should be excited for the weapon at their disposal.
South Carolina found its highest rated recruit of the 2027 class so far in the form of big 314 pound defensive lineman John Archer. The top ten player in the state of North Carolina is a “disruptive” interior force on a defensive line. Archer has the potential to be a star at the next level given the right situation. Should he reach his potential in Columbia, the Gamecocks would have a force along the interior of their defense that could help them with a playoff push.
DJ Huggins is a 5-foot-10 and 165 pound wide out from Kennesaw, Georgia. The Harrison High School star held offers from Alabama, Arkansas, Boston College, Georgia, and others before ultimately choosing South Carolina.
South Carolina’s 2027 Class
Archer, Huggins, and Lancaster join a class that features safety Jernard Albright, quarterback Jerry Meyer III, and offensive lineman Will Endicott. A class that was ranked outside the top 60 just a few days ago, is now squarely inside the top 40. Shane Beamer and his team aren’t nearly finished with this class and will be looking to find themselves once again inside the top 25 recruiting rankings when this cycle finishes.
The South Carolina coaching staff has their eyes set on a few key targets as the summer recruiting period picks up. Four-star running backs David “Tre” Segarra and Brayden Tyson, four-star safety Jayden Aparicio-Bailey, and four-star edge rusher James Pace III all listed the Gamecocks among their final five schools for this cycle.
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South-Carolina
Former South Carolina wing, Lexington native, lands at new program via transfer portal
Former Gamecock basketball wing Cam Scott has found a new home. Following a second offseason in which the Lexington, South Carolina native entered the transfer portal, the Temple Owls have announced that Scott has signed with the program.
A former five-star prospect (though he was a four-star by the time he signed), Scott’s South Carolina basketball career did not go the way many envisioned when he flipped from the Texas Longhorns in the class of 2024.
During his high school days, Scott was a two-time Gatorade Player of the Year in the Palmetto State. He also set numerous records at Lexington High School. He signed with Texas before eventually winding up with the Gamecocks.
Scott then spent two years in garnet and black. As a freshman, he struggled mightily, averaging 2.5 points while shooting 27.8% from the field and 17.8% from 3-point range. After entering and withdrawing from the transfer portal, he returned to USC for a second season. However, Scott never played again, choosing to redshirt the 2025-2026 campaign.
Because of the redshirt, Scott will have three years left to play at Temple.
The Insiders Forum: Discuss South Carolina basketball!
Scott joins six former teammates in finding new homes via the transfer portal. All seven of South Carolina’s transfers this cycle have dropped down to mid-major programs.
Forward EJ Walker (Western Kentucky), forward Jordan Butler (Furman), forward Elijah Strong (St. Louis), post player Christ Essandoko (Bowling Green), guard Eli Ellis (Charlotte), and wing Abu Yarmah (Longwood) have all revealed commitments this transfer cycle.
Following another tough season in Columbia, South Carolina will have a very different roster next year. With five graduates and seven transfer portal defections (plus multiple staff changes), the Gamecocks nearly experienced complete turnover.
So far, six players have pledged their services to Lamont Paris’ team out of the transfer portal. Kory Mincy (George Mason), Camden Heide (Texas), Aleksas Bieliauskas (Wisconsin), Shane Blakeney (Drexel), Jakub Necas (Duquesne), and Davion Hannah (Alabama) have committed as of the time of this writing.
South-Carolina
LSU completes sweep of South Carolina, 7-0
BATON ROUGE, LA (USC SID) – The University of South Carolina baseball team fell to LSU, 7-0, Sunday afternoon (May 3) at Alex Box Stadium.
Omar Serna gave LSU a 2-0 lead in the third with a home run to left. Cade Arrambide’s sacrifice fly put the Tigers up 3-0 in the fifth. Tanner Reaves’ RBI single gave LSU a 4-0 lead but Ethan Lizama’s throw to the plate was called interference by Derek Curiel, holding the Tigers to one run.
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LSU scored a pair of runs in the sixth and added on in the seventh to make it 7-0.
KJ Scobey had two of Carolina’s five hits in the contest. Alex Valentin took the loss, allowing three runs on four hits in four innings with six strikeouts.
POSTGAME NOTES
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Josh Gregoire came in to pitch in his hometown of Baton Rouge. He pitched 1.1 innings and allowed a hit with no runs.
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Carolina had three errors on the day.
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Carolina played in Baton Rouge for the first time since 2011.
UP NEXT
Carolina will take the midweek off for final exams and return to action on Friday afternoon (May 8) against Alabama. The game will start at 5:30 p.m. and will be televised on SEC Network.
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