Published Jan 15, 2024
Gamecocks Seem To Add Familiar Face At Position of Need, DE Gilber Edmond
Caleb Alexander  •  GamecockScoop
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Ah, the tangled web the Transfer Portal can weave. Following a solid Sophomore campaign for South Carolina in 2022 where DE Gilber Edmond put together 27 total tackles and 2 sacks while helping fill in for an injured Jordan Strachan, Edmond opted to go into the portal and take his talents to Florida State. Edmond was hyped up as the 5th best DE in the 2022 portal class, and it was a move that left many Gamecock fans scratching their head considering the open path to relevance at the position for Edmond in Columbia for 2023.

All in all, it would seem no one really got what they wanted. South Carolina had to piece together a less-than-ideal depth chart at DE in 2023, and Edmond had a disappointing season, with only 21 total tackles and 1 sack, not exactly the step forward anyone was expecting. That said, there's still room in the DE room at South Carolina as we head to 2024, and there seem to be no hard feelings from anyone involved at letting Edmond get another crack at it. While there hasn’t been an official commitment announcement yet, Edmond himself has given plenty of indications he’s back in Columbia on social media, and our intel tells us he’ll play for the Gamecocks, so we’re going to go ahead and call this unofficially official

It remains to be seen if he can deliver on the potential that seemed to be developing before he left, but following a Redshirt in 2021, he should have two seasons of eligibility remaining to carve out a role on the Gamecocks' defense. He posted a respectable 64.1 Pro Football Focus grade in 20 games played in 2023, and he'll look to improve in a familiar environment as he arrives for the spring semester shortly.