South Carolina picks up transfer portal commitment from athletic EDGE prospect
South Carolina is staying hot on the transfer portal recruiting trail.
On Sunday, former Arkansas State EDGE Drew Collins committed to South Carolina, On3’s Hayes Fawcett reported. After two years at Arkansas State, including a redshirt, he will have three years of eligibility remaining at USC.
Joining Collins with a Saturday pledge was his older brother, Kelby Collins, a rising senior who played defensive tackle and defensive end at both Florida and Alabama. The Gamecocks earned the Collins brothers’ commitments over Auburn, Mississippi State, and Kentucky.
The younger Collins did not play during his redshirt year in 2024. During his redshirt freshman campaign this fall, he registered three sacks and 4.5 tackles for loss. With a solid first year and still untapped potential, Collins is an intriguing player for new defensive ends/outside linebackers coach Deion Barnes.
According to the On3 Transfer Portal Industry Ranking, Collins ranks as a three-star transfer. He is the No. 1326 overall player in the portal and the No. 114 EDGE player.
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Listed at 6-4 and 238 pounds on the Redwolves’ roster, the Gardendale, Alabama native will enter a defensive end situation in Columbia in which the Gamecocks need both immediate impact and depth. Star pass rusher Dylan Stewart returns to Columbia, but the rest of the depth chart (and the other starting spot) is somewhat up in the air.
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Senior All-SEC EDGE Bryan Thomas Jr. graduated, vacating the starting spot opposite of Stewart. Fellow seniors JT Geer and Demon Clowney exhausted the last of their eligibility, too. Then, this offseason, former Missouri transfer Jaylen Brown followed Sterling Lucas to LSU via the transfer portal. Four-star Palmetto State native Julian Walker also signed with Carolina in the class of 2026.
Several scholarship players return at the position, including Stewart, senior Desmond Umeozulu, and redshirt freshmen Jaquavious Dodd, Anthony Addison, and Kobby Sakyi-Prah. Redshirt senior George Wilson is applying for another year of eligibility following an injury in 2025.
Joining Kelby Collins and Drew Collins on the South Carolina transfer portal commitment list are wide receiver Jayden Gibson (Oklahoma), defensive tackle Jordan Thomas (Georgia), center Carter Miller (UCF), offensive lineman Hank Purvis (Purdue), kicker Upton Bellenfant (Texas Tech), defensive back Quay’Sheed Scott (Kentucky), offensive tackle Jacarrius Peak (NC State), offensive lineman Emmanuel “Kojo” Poku (ECU), running back Sam Dixon (Ohio State), wide receiver Nitro Tuggle (Purdue), offensive lineman Dayne Arnett (Ferris State), defensive tackle Tomiwa Durojaiye (Illinois), long snapper Emmet Rhoades (Western Carolina), and offensive tackle Seth Smith (Northern Arizona).