The Feed Pail: Grad transfers, hot takes, statues, and other stuff

Welcome back to the feed pail, where we take a look around the internet for some choice South Carolina Gamecocks tidbits and share them back here with you. On the menu this morning: ESPN takesmiths, statues, SOFTBALL, and more.

Cornerback Nick Harvey headed to South Carolina as grad transfer — ESPN

The Gamecocks picked up what could be an important new piece to their secondary on Wednesday evening, adding former Texas A&M defensive back Nick Harvey to the fold. A former four-star recruit and Army All-American, Harvey will have a chance to snag the starting cornerback spot opposite Rashad Fenton and bring some much-needed veteran savvy to what is other a very inexperienced unit. He’ll also get to play against his old team on Oct. 13, when the Gamecocks host the Aggies. Harvey chose South Carolina over Arizona, Auburn, and Tennessee.

ESPN analyst suggests position switch for Gamecocks quarterback — Hale McGranahan, SEC Country

Welp. Poor Dakereon Joyner has barely been on campus for a minute and a talking head has already piped up to stump for a position change from quarterback to wide receiver. In a recent radio appearance and then continuing on Twitter, ESPN analyst Tom Luginbill said that the former four-star recruit is a “special talent,” but that he has “a long way to go” in the passing game and would be better off getting the ball in his hands a different way. (On the somewhat bright side, he at least compared Joyner to a possible Percy Harvin.) For his part, Joyner appears to be taking it in stride:

Sheesh.

Multiple Gamecocks sign undrafted free-agent NFL deals

Tight end Hayden Hurst, selected in the first round of the NFL Draft, ended up being the only Gamecock who heard his name called. But several will still get a chance to try out after inking free-agent contracts:

• Chris Lammons (Atlanta Falcons)
• Skai Moore (Indianapolis Colts)
• Dante Sawyer (Kansas City Chiefs)
• Cory Helms (New Orleans Saints)
• Taylor Stallworth (New Orleans Saints)
• Jamarcus King (Oakland Raiders)
• Alan Knott (San Francisco 49ers)
• Ulric Jones (Seattle Seahawks)

Best of luck to these guys, and hopefully they can take this path to the NFL like Damiere Byrd did last season.

A’ja Wilson monument at SC State House would ‘recognize greatness,’ lawmaker says — Greg Hadley, The State

The talk of honoring South Carolina basketball legend A’ja Wilson simmered down after the WNBA Draft, but it’s picked back up again with a lawmaker’s suggestion that Wilson get her own statue at the State House. Rep. Leon Howard, a Democrat from Richland County, proposed the resolution:

“A’ja Wilson is an incredible, world-class athlete from right here in Columbia, South Carolina. This monument is a way to recognize her achievements.”

Unsurprisingly, this isn’t expected to gain any traction; a statue of an athlete would be a highly unusual accessory to the State House grounds, and is probably too partisan of a move for the Clemson folk to tolerate. It’s still a nice thought, though, and maybe this will prompt the university to start thinking about its own plans to honor Wilson.

Softball update: Still killing it

The 12th-ranked Gamecocks had a bit of a mid-season swoon (call it the GABA Curse, I guess; whoops), but got back on track and have remained squarely in the thick of things. South Carolina wrapped up its home schedule for the year with a run-ruled 14-0 win over Charleston Southern on Wednesday night, currently boasting a 42-11 record (14-7 in the SEC). It’s the first time since 2003 the Gamecocks have reached 40 wins with three games left in the regular season, and it’s the most victories South Carolina has notched under coach Beverly Smith. Up next is the season finale, a road series against 20th-ranked Kentucky this weekend.