Shane Beamer’s January beach trip looked a little different this year.

Typically this time of year—sandwiched between the end of the season and the recruiting contact period—is reserved for a little bit of rest and relaxation but the popularity of the transfer portal is changing that some.

Beamer still got to take a few days and escape to the beach but his days did consistent of reaching out to portal prospects.

“We’ve been hard at work at that and still are,” Shane Beamer said about We’re not slowing down on that and never will. We’ve been busy recruiting for the class of 2022 and 2023 and beyond.”

Beamer’s beach trip was fruitful with South Carolina landing four portal players over the course of three days, but the Gamecocks aren’t done at all; they still have a handful of needs heading into spring and then training camp this summer while building the 2022 roster.

They’ve already added a quarterback (Spencer Rattler), a tight end (Austin Stogner) an edge rusher (Terrell Dawkins), a safety (Devonni Reed), a receiver (Antwane Wells) and a running back (Christian Beal-Smith) with the potential to add more.

“We’re not going to turn down a great player for sure. If there’s a great player we’ll pursue it. From that standpoint we’re wide open. If you look at December recruiting and what we needed to get done that we didn’t get done: defensive end, outside linebacker was a major need for us in December,” Beamer said.

“We didn’t get where we needed to get to in my opinion. We already took one in the transfer portal and it doesn’t mean we’re going to take another one but we potentially could. Running back, with ZaQuandre White and Kevin leaving that’s two guys you lose. We have one coming in and we’ll see what happens with that.”

There are a few ways to get creative in the portal in terms of recruiting numbers, including bringing guys in for the start of spring practice or delaying their arrival until over the summer and counting them forward to the 2023 class.

Going through 15 spring practice will also allow Beamer and his staff to figure out any other positions of need and get those through the portal as well. South Carolina is actively recruiting “two or three guys” at the moment still waiting to make decisions.

“I would say it’s really flexible. We’re kind of looking for everything. There are two or three guys we’re talking to currently we’re trying to wait on them and make decisions,” Beamer said. “A lot of that will depend on when we go through spring practice and where we are. There’s always a flexibility of adding guys after spring practice as well like we did last year with Tyrese Ross. He came in the summertime.”

Portal recruiting is a little different dealing with players who have already been in college for at least a year and are veterans to the recruitment process.

“Because they’ve been through the recruiting process before they’re very focused on what they want to see. They know what they’re looking for. They don’t need necessarily the glitz and glamor and to be wined and dined. They’re very much focused on, ‘Here’s what I’m looking for in a school and can you guys provide it to me?’ it’s very bottom-line and a different conversation.”

While the Gamecocks are also trying to put together their portal class, coaches will also be back on the road for the next few weeks putting the finishing touches on the 2022 class and starting on the 2023 one.

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