JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The introduction of the NCAA Transfer Portal has added additional moving parts to the college football landscape. It’s become the norm now to see players go on social media to announce they are in the portal. Combine that with the NIL legislation and you have a Wild, Wild West scenario playing out with college football head coaches trying to manager their roster in the eye of an off-season storm.
But South Carolina head football coach Shane Beamer has attempted to bring some stability to his program even when players enter the portal. In Thursday’s pre-game news conference in Jacksonville, Beamer went in depth about his philosophy that any player who enters the portal is not allowed to play in the bowl game. Beamer said he had multiple players who entered the portal ask to play in the Gator Bowl, only to have the coach decline their request.
“With regards to entering the portal and playing (in the bowl game), I don’t let them. Right, wrong, indifferent, that’s just kind of how I feel,” Beamer said.
“To me, it feels like it’s one foot in, one foot out. Frankly, we had a couple of players who were on our team who entered the portal and asked me if they could enter the portal and still play in the bowl game, and I told them no. I told them you’re either with us or you’re not. I don’t mean that in a negative way, I wish everyone well. I don’t want people down here thinking about where their next stop is and things like that.”
The players who are currently on the roster will be at TIAA Bank Field for Friday’s Gator Bowl which kicks off at 3:30 p.m.