Gamecocks Down Key Starters for Home Opener vs. SC State
South Carolina will take the field for its home opener on Saturday night against South Carolina State without a couple of important starters.
Head coach Shane Beamer confirmed during his weekly radio call-in show on Thursday that starting cornerback Judge Collier will be sidelined with a knee injury. Collier was hurt in the first half of last weekend’s win over Virginia Tech and did not return.
Beamer, however, is optimistic about the sophomore’s long-term outlook.
“I don’t think it’s going to be long term,” Beamer said Tuesday.
Collier has been a steady presence in the secondary. He played all 12 games as a freshman, starting two, and last season became a full-time starter with 13 starts, recording 28 tackles and a team-high eight pass breakups. When he exited against Virginia Tech, Myles Norwood and Vacari Swain stepped in to cover his spot.
The Gamecocks will also be without defensive end Jatius Geer, who, according to Beamer, is also expected to have a chance to return next week for the SEC opener against Vanderbilt.
Geer, a transfer from Syracuse, logged 18 snaps in the win over the Hokies. In 2024, he appeared in 10 games for South Carolina and finished with eight tackles.
There is some good news, though. Freshman offensive lineman Shed Sarratt is cleared to play after missing the opener with an injury. He’s listed as the backup guard on the team’s depth chart.
Starting next week, South Carolina and all SEC teams will be required to release official injury reports from Wednesday through gameday, part of the league’s new policy for transparency.
