The South Carolina Gamecocks narrowly missed the College Football Playoff this season and have parlayed that into a strong recruiting class. The Gamecocks are expected to be one of the top teams in the transfer portal, but teams can’t thrive on portal recruiting alone.
There’s one glaring hole on the Gamecocks’ roster: Defensive tackle. But top junior college prospect Zavion Hardy flipped his commitment to the Gamecocks. Are they a serious SEC contender moving forward?
Zavion Hardy Flips Commitment to South Carolina
Top junior college recruit Hardy flipped from the Mississippi State Bulldogs to South Carolina, ending a nearly four-year recruitment that spanned multiple defensive line coaches. Hardy originally committed to South Carolina out of high school but went to East Mississippi Community College in 2022 to become academically eligible.
During his second recruitment, Hardy stayed in contact with the Gamecocks but committed to Mississippi State, as Jeff Lebby followed through on the promise he made at SEC Media Days to lock down the junior college ranks, especially in the Magnolia State.
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Hardy isn’t just a talented player; he’s the most important player in South Carolina’s 2025 class.
The Gamecocks under Shane Beamer have been one of the best non-Blue Bloods when it comes to team-building and overall recruiting strategy. but there’s a gaping hole at defensive tackle, one that Hardy helps fill.
What Flipping Zavion Hardy Means for the Gamecocks
South Carolina doesn’t have a defensive tackle under the age of 20 on its roster. After missing on a few key high school targets and choosing to part ways with one of their top underclassmen at the position, the Gamecocks were left with just two DTs on the roster with 2025 eligibility.
And that’s after the Gamecocks convinced one of their top 2024 transfer portal additions to redshirt.
The position is paper thin, and if some of the draft-eligible upperclassmen opt out of the Gamecocks’ bowl game, they might not have enough scholarship defensive tackles to avoid playing others out of position.
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Accordingly, the Gamecocks got to work on building its class. They still missed on a few key targets, but never relented in their pursuit of Hardy.
Hardy is not the only interior defensive lineman to commit and sign with the Gamecocks on Early Signing Day. The Gamecocks also secured the commitment of three-star DL Christian Ingram. There’s even a possibility they could pull off a signing day stunner and flip Kevin Wynn from the Florida State Seminoles.
But even if the Gamecocks go 3 for 3 on those players, they’ll be aggressive at the position in the transfer portal.
Still, the transfer portal cannot ultimately sustain any one position. We’ve seen that from teams like the Oklahoma Sooners, whose all-in strategy of using the portal for the offensive line has not worked.
The Gamecocks needed to hit on players with multiple years of remaining eligibility and make an immediate impact. Hardy checks both boxes and is likely the top defensive tackle option on the roster heading into the portal season.
Hardy’s signature is proof of concept for South Carolina’s recruiting and team-building strategy. With LaNorris Sellers at quarterback, a strong Name, Image, and Likeness infrastructure, and a nuanced team-building approach, it looks like the Gamecocks are here to stay.
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