South Carolina snags a talented running back from Texas, seeking to bolster their ground game amid a turbulent transfer portal landscape.
The transfer portal has both helped and hurt teams throughout college football. It has been reported as many as 10,000 players entered the portal sweepstakes, hoping to improve their playing time and their bank accounts.
After Friday, when the transfer portal closes for the year, reports indicate there will still be over 6,000 players left without a landing spot on the other side as of the time of this writing.
Too many players and not enough roster spots have left the sport in an untenable situation, with no chance of being resolved anytime soon.
For the diehard college football fans out there, do not expect anyone down at NCAA headquarters to do anything about it. The silence emanating from Indianapolis is deafening.
The Texas Longhorns have suffered some transfer losses of their own, many from the same position group: running backs.
As many as four running backs have transferred out of the program, including their leading rusher Quintrevion Wisner. Also, C.J. Baxter, Jerrick Gibson, and Christian Clark all left, looking for greener pastures.
Clark found his green grass away from the Forty Acres, with the South Carolina Gamecocks. He will have three years of eligibility left.
Last season, Clark was third on the team with 236 yards and two touchdowns, and he averaged 4.3 yards per carry.
In the Citrus Bowl win over Michigan, Clark rushed for 105 yards and a touchdown in his first career start. Combined with Arch Manning’s 155 yards and two touchdowns, the duo left the Wolverines in their wake with cleat marks on their face masks to the tune of 255 rushing yards and three touchdowns.
The Longhorns failed to rush for 2,000 yards or more in a season for the first time since 2017, gaining 1,791 yards and 17 touchdowns. The Gamecocks gained even less as they rushed for 1,333 yards and just 14 scores.
South Carolina averaged a little over three yards per carry and did not have anyone rush for over 500 yards last season.
Against Coastal Carolina, the Gamecocks rushed for a season-high 264 yards and five touchdowns in a 51-7 win to break a five-game losing streak.
On the surface, it looks like Clark is leaving Texas for a worse situation with the Gamecocks. But anything that Clark can add to coach Shane Beamer’s rushing attack would be a welcome blessing.
At least Clark found a nice, soft spot to land. There are thousands of poor souls still lost in the transfer portal black hole that will never find a roster spot.
Contrary to how the old saying goes, the grass is not always greener on the other side.