South-Carolina
South Carolina Gamecocks News: Updates from football, recruiting, basketball, baseball, and more
The latest South Carolina Gamecocks news from the last week, starting with some updates from the world of football recruiting
The Gamecocks had a busy week of recruiting, especially over the weekend.
South Carolina football coach Shane Beamer teased out four different commitments, but just one of those went public.
Blackville-Hilda High School standout Jaquel Holman, a big-time athlete who plays running back, defensive back, and linebacker, pledged his services to USC.
Earlier in the week, Damola Ajidahun announced his top-8 schools, and South Carolina was on the list. The 4-star offensive lineman is from the state of Georgia.
5-star in-state wide receiver Malik Clark has put USC in his top-5.
August 7th will be commitment day for 4-star safety Lagonza Hayward. Officially, he has 7 finalists (the Gamecocks are one), but Carolina has been named a “top-3” and “top-4” team by Hayward recently.
4-star offensive lineman Dontrell Glover will commit on July 1st. He set his decision date immediately following a visit to Columbia. The Gamecocks are a finalist.
Instead of sticking with his previously scheduled July decision date, 5-star EDGE Zayden Walker elected to commit early, and the Georgia native picked the Georgia Bulldogs.
Gamecock dual-sport athlete Nyck Harbor received a huge honor.
The wide receiver for South Carolina football and sprinter for South Carolina track and field was named a Second Team All-American in the 100-meter and 200-meter sprints after his showing at the NCAA Championships.
A former Gamecock head coach is on the College Football Hall of Fame ballot.
For the second year in a row, Jim Carlen (1975-1981) is up for induction into the CFBHOF. He also coached at West Virginia and Texas Tech.
Lamont Paris’ South Carolina basketball team has finalized its 2024-2025 roster.
Former walk-on Austin Herro (rising redshirt freshman) is now on scholarship. The combo guard is the 13th and final scholarship player for the Gamecocks’ roster next season.
The Gamecocks also set their season opener.
After recently announcing a game in the non-conference schedule against North Florida, more details came out about the matchup, most notably that it would be the team’s season opener on November 4th.
Dawn Staley’s women’s team made some recruiting news.
The Gamecocks made the top list for 5-star prospect Jazzy Davidson in the class of 2025. Davidson released a top-5, and South Carolina basketball made the cut.
Future Gamecock Joyce Edwards won another big-time award.
The gem of the 2024 recruiting class was named MaxPreps High School Female Athlete of the Year.
After another disappointing year, Mark Kingston is out as the leader of Gamecock baseball.
Kingston was fired on Monday, and an extensive coaching search is underway. Some notable candidates include Monte Lee (assistant coach, South Carolina), Tom Walter (head coach, Wake Forest), Cliff Godwin (head coach, East Carolina), Chris Pollard (head coach, Duke), and Dan McDonnell (head coach, Louisville.
A long-time South Carolina baseball pledge is no longer part of the Gamecocks’ 2025 recruiting class.
In-state pitcher Teddy Garner decommitted over the weekend.
Despite being in the middle of a coaching search, the Gamecocks have landed some new commitments.
Class of 2025 pitcher Luke Roupe (a former Vanderbilt commit) is now committed to the South Carolina baseball program.
Transfer portal hurler Caleb Jones (Winthrop Eagles) also pledged to Carolina this week.
A handful of Gamecocks have left the program via the transfer portal.
Infielders Tristan Salinas, Carson Hornung, and Tyler Zedalis all intend to transfer from the Gamecocks. Salinas and Zedalis were freshmen, while Hornung has just one year of eligibility remaining.
After 14 seasons, South Carolina softball coach Bev Smith has been fired.
Smith had a woeful SEC record during her time in Columbia, and USC made it out of Regional play in the NCAA Tournament just once while she was head coach.
Next. South Carolina Gamecocks: After 14 years, USC makes a coaching change. South Carolina Gamecocks: After 14 years, USC makes a coaching change. dark
The Lions may be looking for a safety within the first two rounds due to injuries to Kerby Joseph and Brian Branch. That’s where Jalon Kilgore may come in. He has some minor injuries, but appears to be a relatively low-risk prospect for a team that needs to add health to that room.
Here is the excerpt of my medical report on Jalon Kilgore:
Jalon Kilgore, S (21) – South Carolina
Projected round 2-3.
Concern level 2/10
While his availability has been excellent, Kilgore has a history of hamstring strains in 2025 and 2023. If his 2024 injury is found to be also a hamstring, then happenstance becomes a disturbing trend.
With fast-twitch athletes, hamstrings are going to be very common, and generally don’t present any long-term issues. The difficult trick will be to determine if a certain player is more prone to hamstrings.
What helps Kilgore a lot is his young age.
For more Lions coverage, follow us on X, @TheLionsWire, and give our Facebook page a like. Follow Jimmy on X, @JimmyLiaoMD
HORRY COUNTY, S.C. (WPDE) — One person was critically injured in a motorcycle crash in the Longs area on Thursday afternoon, according to Horry County Fire Rescue (HCFR).
Just before 2:00 p.m., crews responded to the area of Old Highway 31 near Hidden River Road.
MORE: 1 critically injured in vehicle rollover near International Dr.
One person was transported to the hospital as a result of the motorcycle crash, HCFR said.
Officials ask that drivers avoid the area as lanes of traffic are currently blocked.
The incident is under investigation by the South Carolina Highway Patrol with assistance from the Horry County Police Department.
Dawn Staley & Gamecocks on ‘rusty’ start in huge win over Southern U
Dawn Staley and Joyce Edwards on their ‘rusty’ start in their first game in two weeks that turned into a massive 69-point win NCAA tournament.
Sports Pulse
COLUMBIA, SC ― With the clock winding down and pressures of the Women’s NCAA Tournament rising, South Carolina senior guard Raven Johnson isn’t playing just to win. She plays in honor of a voice she can no longer hear – but that she still carries with her every time she steps onto the court.
That motivation was on full display Monday night, as the No. 1-seeded Gamecocks took down No. 9 USC to advance to the Sweet 16. Johnson earned her 1,000th career point ― what would prove to be her last point at Colonial Life Arena ― on a steal and fast-break layup that brought a roar from the crowd. The Gamecocks will face No. 4 Oklahoma Saturday in Sacramento, with another Elite Eight appearance on the line.
For Johnson, the moment symbolized something deeper – a career shaped by the memory of her late grandfather. Johnson’s family watched as she achieved the milestone, her mother, grandmother and twin brother. It was a full circle moment for a player whose journey took root in her grandparents’ home.
Her grandparents helped raise her and her twin brother, Richard Johnson. The family lived together and she often calls her grandmother “mother” and her grandfather “papa,” reflecting the impact they had on her upbringing.
“My grandparents did a really good job,” Johnson said. “We wouldn’t be playing sports if it wasn’t for them.”
The Boones introduced the twins to basketball through their church and spent countless hours training them, often pushing them past their limits. A sergeant first class in the Army Reserves, he supervised soldiers in his unit and brought that same discipline to his grandchildren on the court, being demanding, structured and determined.
“I remember being outside and he was training us and I thought it was so hard. I wanted to give up,” Johnson said. “I used to cry, and he would be like ‘You’re not going to cry in my face, and you’re not going to give up.’ It was little things like that that made me tough.”
The standard of grit, accountability and composure, is something Johnson carries today.
“She’s just a winner and she’s a great point guard,” said South Carolina senior guard Ta’Niya Latson, who also played with Johnson at Westlake High School in Atlanta. “When she’s confident, we’re confident. When she’s poised, we’re poised. It’s hard to have that type of personality and leadership on the court, but she carries it well.”
Rodrick Boone was diagnosed with stomach cancer in December 2012 and died in April 2013 while Johnson was at a tournament in New Orleans. She was 10 years old.
“I remember I shut down,” Johnson said. “My mind went blank. I was like ‘What?’ I thought he was untouchable.”
Months after her grandfather’s death, something shifted in her mindset.
“I think that’s my why,” Johnson said. “I keep going today because he is my why.”
As a child, Johnson didn’t even like basketball. She preferred T-ball and cheerleading and thought basketball wasn’t for girls, until she saw Notre Dame’s Skylar Diggins and began to see herself differently.
“She was so pretty to me and I remember asking ‘Can I be girly and hoop?’” Johnson said.
She was the only girl on her recreational team, earning the nickname “Killer” for her defensive intensity alongside her brother, nicknamed “Thriller” for his offensive ability. The boys tested Johnson by playing physical and trying to push her out of the sport.
“I used to be cooking them out there a little bit, and I think they didn’t like that,” Johnson said.
She said the boys trying to make it hard on her actually made her tougher both physically and mentally.
Her grandmother, Connie Boone, said her grandfather would be proud of what Johnson has become.
“He might be crying but he would be happy about it,” her grandmother said. “You start them young, but you never know what the outcome is going to be.”
Johnson imagines the conversations she’d be having with her papa if he was still here.
“He would still be on my butt riding me, he’ll tell me maybe I need to fix something,” Johnson said. “He’ll be happy and I think he’ll be like ‘All right let’s get back to the drawing board. Let’s get ready for the next opponent.’”
She knows her papa is always watching, and she talks to him a lot at night.
“I just want to tell him that I’m going to keep pushing through even when it gets tough,” Johnson said. “He’s always telling me to push through because nobody cares. Nobody cares if you’re at your lowest, nobody cares.”
On Monday, fans chanted “Raven, Raven, Raven” as she walked off the court for the final time at Colonial Life Arena, Johnson’s moment was bigger than the scoreboard.
It was about diligence, progress and a promise kept.
With another game ahead and the possibility of a deeper tournament run, she isn’t finished. She continues to push and play for the voice that gave her a reason to begin.
Alyssia Hamilton is a student in the University of Georgia’s Carmical Sports Media Institute.
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