The Feed Pail: A new future opponent, a new wide receiver, and more

We may still not really know what’s going on day-to-day, but there’s still some news to be shared even in these uncertain times (a phrase we all love to hate by now; sorry). Let’s get to it.

South Carolina adds transfer wide receiver

A new face joined the Gamecocks over the weekend, as South Carolina grabbed Jalen Brooks out of Wingate, a small Division II program in North Carolina. Listed at 6-foot-3 and 190 pounds, the rising junior made 50 catches for 998 yards and nine touchdowns in his first two years with the Bulldogs.

Gamecocks to play Old Dominion for first time

Speaking of new developments with the football team, South Carolina picked up a first-time non-conference opponent for 2024 in the Old Dominion Monarchs. While Old Dominion is an FCS program, it’s one of the preeminent forces on that level, and indeed successfully took down No. 13 Virginia Tech in 2018. And thus the Gamecocks’ trend of scheduling choking hazard cupcakes continues...

SEC announces preseason football calendar

A more general update to share: The conference released an updated schedule for fall camp, which includes more days off and fewer practices compared to usual. The SEC’s coronavirus strategy so far has appeared to be an attempt to buy some time. We’ll see how that gambit pays off, as some other conferences are choosing to get things started sooner as opposed to later.

Skai Moore becomes first NFL Gamecock to opt out of season

With uncertainty still swirling around the coronavirus pandemic, several NFL players have decided to sit out this coming season with concerns for their safety and the health of their families. Former South Carolina standout Skai Moore, who now plays linebacker for the Indianapolis Colts, is on that list, becoming the 50th NFL player overall to step aside. It’s a situation to keep an eye on, as it’s possible it could snowball if enough big names make the same decision.

South Carolina mourns Dodie Anderson

The Gamecocks lost a good one last week with the passing of Dolores “Dodie” Anderson, an enthusiastic USC donor and community philanthropist. Best known for making the Dodie Anderson Academic Enrichment Center possible, which has been a boon to football recruiting and also all student-athletes, she also helped fund football’s indoor practice facility, men’s and women’s basketball locker room renovations, and more. She also earned the Order of the Palmetto, one of the state’s highest honors. Rest in peace to a loyal Gamecock.

Gamecocks get props for fighting to keep Palmetto Bowl

For obvious reasons, it’s rare that we link to Clemson sites in this space, and we like to keep it that way. But this is a nice read from a Tiger fan on how South Carolina fought to preserve this season’s rivalry matchup with no help from the rest of the SEC. As he (sadly) points out, the Gamecocks had no pressing reason to care so much about a game in which they’d be prohibitive underdogs, but nonetheless did everything they could to make the game a reality. Alas.

Big Ten analyst comes through with Clowney hot take

Hey, remember when no one would let us enjoy watching Jadeveon Clowney play for South Carolina and kept hollering about how he should sit out one or more years? Well, people are still talking about that for some reason. This time, it’s Big Ten Network’s Gerry DiNardo, who says Clowney probably lost 10 or 20 million dollars not being able to jump to the NFL after his freshman year. (For context, he’s comparing Clowney to star Penn State linebacker Micah Peters, who is sitting out this fall due to coronavirus concerns.) What’s old is new again.