South-Carolina
Updated Look at South Carolina’s Transfer Class Through Four Weeks
After the 2023 campaign, it was clear that the South Carolina coaching staff wanted to add veteran talent to their roster. The Gamecocks brought in experienced players to help with the depth, after a wealth of injuries last year, and to hopefully become stars on the field. Taking a look at a group of transfers that was labeled as an impressive group coming in.
The Gamecocks desparately needed to strengthen both lines of scrimmage in order to compete in the best conference in the country and add weapons that could revamp the offense. Here’s a few players that have stood out from the pack so far:
Kyle Kennard
Probably the best transfer player in the country right now. He has made an immediate impact on the team ever since stepping on campus in the winter. On the year the Georgia Tech transfer is tied for first in the country in sacks (5.5), tied for third in tackles for loss (8.5), and tied for eighth in forced fumbles (2). He and superstar true freshman Dylan Stewart have combined for one of the most ferocious pass rushing duos in the country. Kennard’s play could vault him up draft boards this offseason.
Raheim “Rocket” Sanders
Raheim Sanders, known to many as Rocket Sanders, is every bit deserving of his nickname. The Arkansas transfer comes into Columbia off a disappointing season in 2023 that was marred by a shoulder injury. South Carolina brought him in hoping he can return to the 2022 form that saw him become one of the best backs in the SEC. So far through four games, Rocket has gained 286 yards on the ground with 4 touchdowns averaging 71.5 yards per game. Sanders has been able to take the pressure off the Gamecocks young starting QB LaNorris Sellers and looks to similar to the back that scared defensive coordinators just a couple years ago. He’ll be a very important piece for the Gamecock offense going forward.
Robby Ashford
Brought in to compete with Sellers, Ashford was announced as South Carolina’s backup QB entering the season. Ashford’s first significant playing opportunity came in the game against LSU after Sellers went down to injury. He played well enough to put the Gamecock’s in a position to send that game into overtime, but unfortunately the team came up just short. The very next week against Akron, Ashford was named the starting QB and he put on the best performance of his college career: 15/21, 243 yards, and two touchdowns through the air and a career-high 133 yards on the ground adding another touchdown. Ashford’s play so far through two weeks gives the Gamecocks great comfort in knowing they have two quarterbacks capable of playing at a high level.
Torricelli Simpkins III and Kamaar Bell
Last year the Gamecock’s offensive line was ravaged by injury which ultimately cost them games down the stretch despite having Spencer Rattler and Xavier Legette. Coach Beamer and his staff made it a priority to build up the depth of that O-Line to prevent that from happening in 2024, enter Torricelli Simpkins III and Kamaar Bell. Both guys have played significant roles for South Carolina by manning the two guard spots. They’ve done a great job of beefing up the middle of the offensive line and creating opportunties for the Gamecock offense to move downfield. Ask any coach at any level and they’ll tell you, the game is won and lost in the trenches. South Carolina will have to rely on players like Bell and Simpkins III in order to make a statement as the season progresses.
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COLUMBIA, S.C. (WIS) – Former South Carolina Lt. Gov. André Bauer has been nominated for a position in foreign diplomacy.
The White House on Tuesday listed Bauer as a nominee to be the next U.S. Ambassador to Belize, a Central American country bordering Guatemala.
It’s unclear when a confirmation hearing will take place. WIS has reached out to the Senate Foreign Affairs Committee for more information.
Bauer was South Carolina’s lieutenant governor from 2003-2011, serving under then-Gov. Mark Sanford. Before that, he served terms in the South Carolina House of Representatives and the South Carolina Senate.
More recently, Bauer entered the race for U.S. Senate in July 2025, looking to unseat Sen. Lindsey Graham in the Republican primary. He ended his campaign the following month.
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CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCIV) — Six Republican candidates vying to become South Carolina’s next governor met in downtown Charleston for a wide-ranging debate that put abortion, infrastructure and the future of data centers at the center of the race.
The forum was held at the Sottile Theatre, where Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette, state Sen. Josh Kimbrell, U.S. Rep. Nancy Mace, U.S. Rep. Ralph Norman, Lowcountry businessman Rom Reddy and Attorney General Alan Wilson took the stage.
Questions included whether they would support a state hate crime law, how they would address concerns about growth and infrastructure, how to navigate collaboration, abortion and the future of data centers in the state.
One issue that drew near-unanimous opposition was state Senate Bill 1095, a proposed total abortion ban that passed out of committee earlier in the day. All of the candidates opposed the bill, but they differed on what they would do if it reached the governor’s desk.
READ MORE | South Carolina governor candidates tout infrastructure, growth at business forum
Norman said he would sign it.
“You know, this is an emotional issue, but I will tell you if this bill came to my desk as governor. If it passed the House and the Senate, I would sign it,” Norman said.
All of the other candidates on stage said they would veto the bill if it came across their desk as governor, with Reddy arguing the question should be decided by voters.
“The Supreme Court did not say the loudest voice in the ruling class prevails. It said it’s up to the people in the state, so let’s put it to a referendum,” Reddy said.
On infrastructure, candidates discussed reforming the South Carolina Department of Transportation and allowing private-sector involvement to help pay for improvements.
Wilson outlined ideas that included leasing interstate easements and expanding private express lanes.
“We privatized that grass between the interstates. We turn it into private express lanes that can be told we leased the easements on the sides of interstates to telecommunication companies and energy companies, and charge them for natural gas line and fiber optic fiber optic cables,” Wilson said.
Evette also pointed to public-private partnerships and the possibility of fast-pass lanes.
READ MORE | South Carolina governor candidates tout infrastructure, growth at business forum
“We want to make sure that we’re innovative public private partnerships coming in and creating fast pass lanes to allow people that are in a hurry to be able to utilize that,” Evette said.
The final question focused on data centers, with candidates agreeing corporations should “pay their way.”
“They should pay for their water. They should pay for their infrastructure, any roads around it, and we should look at what Governor Ron DeSantis has done in Florida with the large data centers that are coming to Florida. That should be the model in South Carolina and everywhere,” Mace said.
Kimbrell said the state should set limits to protect natural resources and guard against higher power costs for residents.
“Put parameters around data centers to ensure that the water consumption does not impact places like the ACE Basin,” Kimbrell said. “Ensuring that the Public Service Commission makes absolutely sure nobody’s power rate goes up and we try to get behind the meter energy grids in place so they can be self-sufficient.”
Two more debates are planned ahead of the primaries on June 9.
A bill that could make it a felony for doctors to perform an abortion is moving to the full South Carolina Senate with just a few weeks left in the legislative session.
The South Carolina Senate medical affairs committee continued a debate of Senate Bill 1095 on April 21 in Columbia. The bill, sponsored by State Sen. Richard Cash, R-Anderson, builds on a restrictive abortion bill that failed to progress in the fall.
The committee passed the measure in an 8-4 vote, moving it to the full Senate for consideration. Lawmakers have until May 14, the last day of the 2026 legislative session, to pass the bill for it to become law.
Senate Bill 1095, also called the “Unborn Child Protection Act,” bans performing an abortion or supplying abortion drugs. It makes it illegal for a woman to get an abortion, with the only exception being to save a pregnant woman’s life.
It also makes mifepristone and misoprostol Schedule IV controlled substances. Alprazolam (Xanax) and zolpidem (Ambien) are two other examples of Schedule IV substances.
Pro-Life Greenville, an anti-abortion organization based in Greenville, responded to the bill’s progress with “full endorsement” of the legislation.
“Unborn children, like all human beings, deserve to have their lives protected under law here in the Palmetto State,” Pro-Life Greenville stated. “Today’s vote by the SC Senate Medical Affairs Committee brings that urgent need one step closer to reality.”
Under the bill, a woman who has an abortion could face misdemeanor charges. The maximum sentence would be two years in jail with a $1,000 fine.
Those found guilty of performing an abortion or providing a pregnant woman with abortion-inducing drugs could face felony charges, a maximum sentence of 20 years in jail, and a possible $100,000 fine.
Planned Parenthood South Atlantic (PPSAT), a firm opponent of the bill, decried the Senate committee passage. PPSAT Director of Public Affairs Vicki Ringer said in a statement that the bill will cost people their lives, and it will make it more difficult for women to get reproductive and pregnancy healthcare.
“Abortion bans have and will continue to cost people their lives,” Ringer stated. “As this ban inches closer to the governor’s desk, it is becoming increasingly clear just how many of our lives anti-abortion lawmakers are willing to endanger in service to their agenda.”
Bella Carpentier covers the South Carolina legislature, state, and Greenville County politics. Contact her at bcarpentier@gannett.com
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