Entering this offseason, there was one big storyline looming and right now it’s still a topic of discussion.

As of right now, the Gamecocks are one scholarship over their NCAA-allotted 13 for next season and Frank Martin said the staff is prepared in case they’re still one over by the time the school year starts.

“Before we signed everyone we signed, there’s a plan in place to make sure we’re at 13 when the school year starts next year,” Martin said. “I’m not going to make that plan available right now. There’s been a plan in place from the word go. When the time comes and we get closer to next year, I’ll let everyone else in to what that plan is."

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The Gamecocks were at their limit last year and are losing two players—Maik Kotsar and Micaiah Henry—while set to bring on three players on scholarship: two signees in Ja’Von Benson and Patrick Iriel and Seventh Woods, who was a walk-on last season after transferring to South Carolina.

For all three of those guys to go on scholarship, they’d need someone to transfer or go pro, which would open up a scholarship as well.

AJ Lawson has to obviously make a decision on if he’ll go pro or not, and if he ultimately does and stays in the draft pool that would also open up a scholarship.

Lawson still hasn’t made his decision and has until the end of the month to make his decision.

“Because of the environment we’re in right now, it’s made it difficult or people like AJ. When you have the opportunity to go to these private workouts, you can convince people you’re there guy,” Martin said of Lawson. “When you have the opportunity to have these in-person interviews that go on for a whole day, you can convince people that I’m the kind of human being they want in their organization. Then you have the combine where if you’re good enough to be invited to the combine you get another opportunity to compete against 60 other very good players.”

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Right now Frank Martin said the Gamecocks expect their entire team back, which would mean the plan would have to be put into action.

If more than one scholarship opens up, the Gamecocks are still keeping tabs on a few prospects in the 2020 class as well in case they do have to add someone with an open scholarship.

“At this time last year, we had our end of the year meetings and I felt real good that our whole team was coming back. Like a week later, I find out Jason Cudd’s not coming. The fact our staff has been actively recruiting and I had engaged when the season ended I helped actively recruit guys. Even though we didn’t have a scholarship, it allowed us to get Jalyn McCreary to commit to a visit the day after Jason Cudd told me he was leaving. We had already built such a good relationship with Jalyn, he committed shortly after,” Martin said. “You have to continue to recruit because you never know what’s going to happen.”

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If Lawson does ultimately leave and they return everyone else, the Gamecocks are still expected to return nine of their top 11 minute getters and scorers from last season.