South Carolina football fans feel like their Gamecocks are on the rise. Following a strong back half of 2024, they are not alone in those thoughts. The hype surrounding USC and some of the team’s stars will be loud this offseason.

On Friday, On3’s Andy Staples and Ari Wasserman released their way-too-early 2025 top 10, and South Carolina cracked the list. In fact, the Gamecocks made it with room to spare, coming in at No. 7.

Their entire top 10 is below.

1. Texas Longhorns
2. Oregon Ducks
3. Ohio State Buckeyes
4. Penn State Nittany Lions
5. Notre Dame Fighting Irish
6. Georgia Bulldogs
7. South Carolina Gamecocks
8. Clemson Tigers
9. Florida Gators
10. Auburn Tigers

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South Carolina’s inclusion at No. 7, according to Staples, comes down to the team’s young talent. Dylan Stewart was an instant-impact menace off the edge, and then quarterback LaNorris Sellers turned into a star. Like Sellers and Stewart, left tackle Josiah Thompson also garnered some Freshman All-American love. The Gamecocks are bringing in their third top-20 high school recruiting class in a row and have hit home runs in the transfer portal in two of the past three cycles.

Living up to the hype of offseason top 10 expectations won’t be easy. However, with elite rising sophomores at (arguably) the most important positions on the field, the Gamecocks could be positioned to make a run. New offensive coordinator Mike Shula will need to do well, and the USC defense also will need to be great again. If those things happen and Shane Beamer and company can nail the transfer portal again, then Staples and Wasserman could be onto something.

This year, the Gamecocks finished 9-4 despite being pegged for 5 or 6 wins by most outlets this preseason. Carolina played in the best non-College Football Playoff bowl game, too, though they lost a heartbreaker to Illinois.