South Carolina Injury Report Trending Positive Ahead of Vanderbilt Clash
South Carolina entered last weekend’s matchup with SC State already shorthanded, missing key contributors Judge Collier, Jalon Kilgore, and JT Geer. But during the 38-10 victory, the Gamecocks’ injury list grew even longer as Brandon Cisse, Vicari Swain, Brady Hunt, Josiah Thompson, and Jaquel Holman all exited the game with injuries and did not return.
After the game, head coach Shane Beamer admitted the list of banged-up players was “too long to even name.” However, by Sunday night, his tone was far more optimistic.
“Feel pretty optimistic on everyone as we sit here today in regards to being able to play Saturday night against Vanderbilt,” Beamer said. “Brady Hunt is the only one that we’re doing some testing on today, and still getting some of the results back from that, so keeping our fingers crossed and prayers for him that we get a good report here this afternoon. But everybody else is trending to being able to play this weekend.”
Hunt, the senior starting tight end, left the game early, and Beamer noted he was the biggest injury concern heading into the week.
During his Tuesday press conference, Beamer struck a cautious but hopeful tone.
“On the injury front, we’re trending in the right direction,” he said. “Obviously, it’s an SEC game, so we’ll have to release an injury update as the week goes. We’ll do that then, so I’m not going to talk about injuries today, other than just to say we’re trending in the right direction and we’ll release the report like we do every week for SEC games when the time comes.”
Beamer also previously mentioned on his weekly call-in show that he expects both Collier and Geer back in time for the Vanderbilt game.
Because this is a conference matchup, the SEC’s new injury reporting rules will be in effect. Both South Carolina and Vanderbilt will release official player availability reports leading up to kickoff. The first report is expected Wednesday evening around 8 p.m., followed by updates Thursday and Friday, with a final status release 90 minutes before kickoff on Saturday.
Beamer is also likely to provide more clarity during his Thursday night radio show.
The SEC approved this availability report system last season, covering football, men’s and women’s basketball, and baseball. Teams must submit reports several days in advance, with daily updates leading to game day. Players will be listed under designations such as available, probable, doubtful, or questionable, with the final report narrowing to available, game-time decision, or out—mirroring the NFL’s model.
The league has also put teeth behind the rule, issuing penalties ranging from $25,000 to $100,000 in football for inaccurate or late reports, with basketball and baseball fines set between $15,000 and $25,000.
South Carolina (2-0) and Vanderbilt (2-0) will square off at Williams-Brice Stadium on Saturday night, with kickoff set for 7:45 p.m. on SEC Network.
