A reminder of the new things to come for South Carolina Athletics in 2026

2025 has now come and gone, and for many fans of South Carolina Athletics, that is a good thing. It should be noted that the Gamecocks had a really good year in both women’s basketball and softball. Men’s basketball, baseball, and football, though, combined to have years to forget.

However, there is plenty of reason for hope and optimism now that the calendar has flipped to January. With the New Year comes a lot of new for USC, as well.

Below is a quick overview of what will be new for South Carolina Athletics in 2026.

The Insiders Forum: Discuss South Carolina football!

Swoosh

In August, the University of South Carolina officially announced that the school was changing athletics apparel providers.

Following nearly two decades with Under Armour, the Gamecocks will be decked out in Nike gear for at least the next ten years, per the contract between the school and the sports apparel and equipment giant.

With the move to the Swoosh, Carolina will receive a slightly larger amount of money (when combining cash and apparel) than the previous Under Armour deal. However, the Gamecocks will add much more brand value with the switch and will see major partnerships—including with USC legend A’ja Wilson—and other incentives down the road.

The official switch to Nike will happen this summer. That means that Under Armour is still outfitting the Gamecocks for baseball, softball, and the ongoing basketball seasons. Next school year, those sports will move to Nike. Football will wear the new provider in the fall.

You can read the Nike contract details here.

Facilities

The long-discussed “Stadium Project” finally began in late 2025. By the time the 2026 football season is here, Williams-Brice Stadium will have undergone upgrades (and an increase in volume) to premium seating areas, student seating areas, locker room, concourse/concessions, and restrooms.

Other Williams-Brice changes will include the destruction of the Floyd building in the North end zone, a press box facelift, the addition of more video screens, changes to some of the corner ramps, making alterations that allow for easier stadium traffic circulation, and other changes that will allow the venue to accommodate more than just football.

Though no official plans have been approved, early proposals also included some updates to Colonial Life Arena, various athletics parking areas, and eventual near-stadium improvements.

Personnel

South Carolina football will have four new assistant coaches next season. Offensive coordinator/quarterback coach Kendal Briles, offensive line coach Randy Clements, assistant head coach/running backs coach Stan Drayton, and defensive ends/outside linebackers coach Deion Barnes were hired in December. Defensive backs coach Torrian Gray added a co-defensive coordinator title this offseason, too.

Rex Hogan will join the South Carolina staff in the football personnel department.

Though he was hired a little earlier in 2025, 2026 will mark the first full year on the job for new deputy athletics director/chief marketing officer Wesley Mallette.

South Carolina women’s basketball coach Dawn Staley is in the midst of her first season of an extension that will run through 2030. She is now the highest-paid women’s basketball coach ever.

Get GamecockCentral for $1. As a bonus, your membership includes a complimentary year of The Athletic.

Schedules

Complete schedules have been announced for the 2026 seasons for South Carolina football, South Carolina baseball, and South Carolina softball.

For the Gridiron Gamecocks, the slate is daunting, as always. It will also include nine conference games for the first time.

Shane Beamer’s team will open the year with two lower-level opponents in Kent State and Towson. Then, SEC play will begin a home contest against Mississippi State. The entire schedule will then alternate between home and away games. Alabama, Kentucky, and Florida will follow Mississippi State before a bye week. Then, Tennessee, Oklahoma, Texas A&M, Arkansas, and Georgia will round out the conference slate. A road rivalry matchup with Clemson will conclude the regular season.

You can see the full 2026 South Carolina football schedule here.

Coming up sooner than football, the baseball team also knows its schedule for the 2026 season. In addition to the usual out-of-conference series with Clemson and mid-week affair with North Carolina, the Gamecocks have a military appreciation weekend with games against Army, Navy, and Air Force on the schedule, as well as the typical diet of games against smaller teams from the Carolinas.

The SEC schedule for year two of the Paul Mainieri era in Columbia will include three-game series against Florida, Arkansas, Georgia, Texas, Missouri, Mississippi State, Kentucky, LSU, Alabama, and Vanderbilt.

You can see the full 2026 South Carolina baseball schedule here.

Softball will look to follow up its record-setting 2025 season with another postseason run. Ashley Chastain Woodard’s team will begin the year with difficult out-of-conference games against several power conference programs in early-season tournaments. Non-con matchups against Clemson (two), Duke, North Carolina, and Coastal Carolina are on the schedule, too.

In SEC play, USC will play three-game series against Texas, LSU, Mississippi State, Tennessee, Florida, Missouri, Texas A&M, and Alabama.

You can see the full 2026 South Carolina softball schedule here.

Though full schedules are far from finished for the 2026-2027 basketball seasons, there are a few notes on the women’s basketball opponents of the future.

South Carolina women’s basketball will renew the rivalry against UConn in the Hall of Fame Showcase. USC will also face off with Maryland in the season opener in Paris. A border battle against North Carolina will come in the Charlotte-hosted Ally Tipoff.

The Insiders Forum: Discuss South Carolina football!