Reality

Reality is that last year's portal experience is probably going to be the norm.

You had Lloyd, Burch, and Bell leave for bigger programs and more money. Well, if we have a breakout player this year, those same kinds of programs will come and sign them in free agency. We don't have that kind of money.

USC absolutely *has* to hit on its FCS transfers, such as Wells and Anderson, in order to be competitive. When that doesn't happen, you can't count on "help being on the way" the next year from your own developed players because someone else is going to be scouting your team and taking them.

I'll be willing to make a sizable wager that a Nyck Harbor or a Pup Howard will not be here next season, assuming they perform well.

We're a poor, in relative payroll terms. The portal will likely always hurt us.

I've been one of Beamer's biggest critics on here. I wanted him gone before the UT and Clemson games last year, but he turned me around and proved his skeptics wrong.

The UNC game just brought my skepticism back and grow even more, unfortunately. My worry has been that the constant fawning over him from our social media team and major parts of our fanbase makes him feel infallible. I don't like how defensive he gets when people ask why the frick he hired an OC with no college playcalling experience after an OC with no college playcalling experience was clearly our biggest problem last year.

Also, his staff's evaluations of transfer portal players is absolutely his biggest red flag right now IMO. We're an SEC school with nearly zero depth at RB and the best we could pull was a RB from Newberry. Grabbing a bunch of G5 O-linemen and expecting them to handle SEC DLs was a major head scratcher that is proving to be a death knell. This just goes back to him clearly wanting to keep "his guys" on staff when we need throat cutters with SEC/P5 experience like other SEC staffs have.

The sad fact is South Carolina doesn't have the NIL to bring in top portal players.

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We'll be limited in attracting top-end talent like FSU did with Jaheim Bell, but we are absolutely able to attract serviceable dudes that add solid depth with P5 experience. It doesn't have to be as bad as the OL currently is, and the vicious circle is that poor performances like the UNC game will just discourage larger NIL support from our fans.

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Which is exactly why it's stupid to put the limited salary budget we do have into HS Srs.

You have a hard, internal cap. Use it on transfers and proven commodities. You can't blow your budget on unproven draft picks.

We basically have to approach this new professional league as an inverse of the NFL. Budget has to go to transfers and impact players, *not* highly touted, non-difference makers like the majority of last year's class.

Finally, Hardesty is an abomination as a coach and a recruiter.

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Too bad it would go against Beamer’s philosophy and his “culture of love” in every way and would never happen here.

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Beamer is trying to build a program the way his dad did it, and I am sympathetic to it.

But you're 100% correct. Prime, Freeze, and Norvell are providing the blueprint. You have a year-to-year team NOT a program. It's different than it was.

You cannot build a culture on unity/family/camaraderie in an Era when everyone is trying to "get the bag." It doesn't work.

The Beamer Era is going to stall out before it ever could take off, due to inability to work with/understand NIL.

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He can adjust or it will lead to his demise.

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Exhibit A: Dabo

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evaluations of transfer portal players is absolutely his biggest red flag right now

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So you're just ignoring Carlins Platel, Ahmarean Brown, David Spaulding, Jordan Strachan, Jason Brown, Debo Williams, Nate Adkins, Juice Wells, Spencer Rattler, and Trey Knox?

Offense line is always a crapshoot for both HS recruits and college transfers. It's not like the portal is saturated with elite prospects. We lost seniors last year and are still relying on Muschamp's guys to be our starters right now and have to supplement that with transfers to give our freshman the most time.

This staff's OL recruiting seems to be head and shoulders above the last staff's.

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So you're just ignoring Carlins Platel, Ahmarean Brown, David Spaulding, Jordan Strachan, Jason Brown, Debo Williams, Nate Adkins, Juice Wells, Spencer Rattler, and Trey Knox?

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I’m not trying to be a dick, but only 3 of those guys (Rattler, Wells, Adkins) have done anything memorable in a Gamecock jersey. And Adkins’ dad was already on staff for crying out loud.

There’s a difference between being a warm body that adds depth and maybe has a a few decent games, and having a clear-cut impact throughout the season. If worked correctly, the transfer portal should bring in experienced guys who can plug the holes and produce right off the bat. We can make it happen by allocating more NIL money to transfers and less to HS recruits.

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It's not like the portal is saturated with elite prospects. We lost seniors last year and are still relying on Muschamp's guys to be our starters right now and have to supplement that with transfers to give our freshman the most time.

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I don’t think anyone objective is expecting elite, but serviceable with P5 experience? Able to at least not give up 9 sacks to UNC? We are a program in the top 25 by most metrics, and all we could get in the portal was O-linemen from G5 schools and a D2 RB. Knox was a good get, and I hope he pans out.

And I despised Muschamp as much as anyone, but we can’t act like all of the talent he brought in was straight garbage. We 100% will feel the loss of Bell, Lloyd, and Burch throughout this season.

By the way, I hope I’m wrong (again) in my criticism of Beamer and he puts my foot in my mouth for me.