South Carolina Gamecocks news from the last week, including the first football game, basketball updates, and more

The latest South Carolina Gamecocks news from the last week, starting with Shane Beamer’s South Carolina football team’s victory over the Old Dominion Monarchs

The Gamecocks’ first game of the 2024 season was ugly, but Carolina emerged victorious with a 23-19 win.

After the game, Shane Beamer called his team’s performance “awful.”

Kyle Kennard and Dylan Stewart were dominant for the Gamecock defense, and Stewart was named the National Freshman of the Week by 247Sports and National Defensive Player of the Week by PFF. Tonka Hemingway and Jalon Kilgore joined Stewart on PFF’s SEC Team of the Week.

The Gamecocks have a few more players injured than originally reported.

In addition to Zahbari Sandy, Jakai Moore, and Aaryn Parks (all of whom will be out for a large portion, if not all, of the 2024 season), Emory Floyd, Elijah Davis, Elijah Caldwell, and Bryan Thomas, Jr. missed the game, as well.

Jared Brown left the game with a leg injury and didn’t return. Nyck Harbor, Vandrevius Jacobs, LaNorris Sellers, Boogie Huntley, and Dylan Stewart all got banged up during the action but returned after short breaks (Sellers and Harbor got hurt on 3rd downs but were back in by the next possession).

Coach Beamer claimed on Sunday night that none of the new injuries should affect the Gamecocks moving forward, but he added on that he would “say what [he has] to say” when the new SEC-mandated injury report comes out on Wednesday.

Before the season’s first game, a Gamecock receiver left the program.

Transfer portal addition Ahmari Huggins-Bruce transferred back to Louisville after failing to earn playing time with the Gamecocks.

A former Gamecock has a new NFL team, and a couple of others are back with their old teams.

Linebacker Ernest Jones is no longer a member of the Los Angeles Rams as he was traded to the Tennessee Titans as a cost-saving measure.

After being cut earlier in the week, running back Dante Miller (New York Giants) and offensive lineman Nick Gargiulo (Denver Broncos) both were re-signed to their teams’ practice squads.

Lamont Paris’ South Carolina basketball recruiting efforts continue.

Future 5-star prospect Martay Barnes was part of a long list of visitors last weekend that also included committed guard Eli Ellis and his younger brother, Isaac Ellis.

Dawn Staley’s South Carolina basketball team got some very unfortunate news on Saturday.

Junior forward Ashlyn Watkins was arrested after a physical altercation on USC’s campus. She was charged with first-degree assault and battery and kidnapping. No further news is known regarding her legal status, her standing with the University, or her place on the Gamecock basketball team.

The Gamecocks made some positive waves in recruiting.

Columbia native Lauren Jacobs (4-star guard, Heathwood Hall Episcopal School) put the South Carolina basketball program on her list of top-10 schools.

Going into effect next week, the SEC has a new policy in place for injury reports.

For SEC contests, coaches must present accurate injury reports three days ahead of football games, plus daily updates until gameday, in which a final update will be given 90 minutes prior to the contest. Basketball (both men’s and women’s) and baseball also will be required to provide these reports, with their first report due the day before games.