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Redshirt freshman kicker Nick St. Germain will seek a transfer, according to The Big Spur. It is an outcome that could be foreseen as early as the 4:53 mark in the first quarter of the Gamecocks' season opener against North Carolina, when Elliott Fry drilled home a 39-yard field goal that left no doubt that he would be South Carolina's kicker for the next four years.
With St. Germain's departure, South Carolina is now four under its scholarship limit of 82. Heading into next season, the Gamecocks are dealing with a serious numbers crunch thanks to a senior class that includes just four scholarship players and NCAA sanctions that reduce the available scholarships from 85 to 82.
It may seem odd that South Carolina would have offered St. Germain a scholarship in the first place, but it's worth remembering that the Gamecocks were coming off a 2011 season in which they had to survive the shaky placekicking of Jay Wooten, and there didn't appear to be a clear solution in sight. St. Germain had offers from a handful of lower tier FBS programs and likely would have gone elsewhere had the Gamecocks not offered.