2026 Alabama Football Early Opponent Preview, Game 4: South Carolina

While Alabama has come away victorious in the last two meetings between the Crimson Tide and South Carolina over the last two seasons, the Gamecocks haven’t made it easy.

Alabama needed Ty Simpson to lead the Tide on a heroic fourth-quarter comeback at South Carolina in 2025 for a 29-22 victory. The Gamecocks attempted a comeback of their own inside Bryant-Denny Stadium in 2024, but it was ended with a Domani Jackson interception as the clock struck zero in a 27-25 Alabama win.

Coming off a disappointing 4-8 season, South Carolina makes a return trip to Bryant-Denny this season in Week 4 under sixth-year head coach Shane Beamer. It's a big year for the Gamecocks with highly-touted quarterback LaNorris Sellers back under center with star edge rusher Dylan Stewart on the other side of the ball and goals to get back on track after falling just short of the College Football Playoff in 2024.

Will we see another epic showdown between the Crimson Tide and Gamecocks in 2026? BamaCentral will be there on Sept. 26 to cover all the action, but until then, here's an early look at South Carolina.

Offense

Sellers was one of the hottest names in college football after his redshirt freshman season in 2024, but he and the Gamecock offense struggled in 2025. The redshirt junior quarterback will be back to lead the charge this season after throwing for 2,437 yards and 13 touchdowns with eight interceptions a year ago.

South Carolina finished 109th in total offense, and Beamer fired former Alabama head coach and Gamecock offensive coordinator Mike Shula and brought in Kendal Briles as his replacement to try and fix some of the issues.

A lot of the issues started up front. After finishing 131st in FBS with 43 sacks allowed last season and 119th in rushing, South Carolina essentially brought in an entirely new offensive line from the transfer portal. All five projected starters are transfers.

Redshirt sophomore Matt Fuller is expected to be the Gamecocks starting running back this season. He was third on the team with 260 rushing yards last season and also had two touchdowns on the ground.

One of the biggest bright spots offensively for the Gamecocks last season was wide receiver Nyck Harbor. He caught 30 passes for 618 yards and six touchdowns (including a 54-yard touchdown against Alabama.) The 6-5 receiver will likely once again be Sellers' top target this season.

Defense

There are a few familiar faces on the South Carolina defense. Former Alabama linebacker Justin Okoronkwo is entering his second season with the Gamecocks. He was second on the team with 63 total tackles last season. Defensive lineman Kelby Collins transferred to South Carolina after one season with the Tide.

Okoronkwo will line up next to Fred Johnson at linebacker, who had 61 total tackles for the Gamecocks last year, so South Carolina should have a solid duo at linebacker.

The top name on the South Carolina defense is edge rusher Dylan Stewart. Over the last two season, he has 22.5 tackles for loss and 11 sacks. Stewart is a major disrupter for opposing offenses.

The Gamecocks also return some experience in the secondary. Veteran safety Peyton Williams is now entering his fifth season at South Carolina. He had two interceptions and a forced fumble last season and should be one of the leaders on defense for the Gamecocks on in 2026. Cornerback Judge Collier is the other starter returning in the secondary.

South Carolina was solid on defense last season and has a chance to be even better this year with some of the veteran experience, plus pieces from the portal.

Schedule

The game against Alabama starts a brutal nine-game stretch for the Gamecocks against Power Four opponents, but the three games before facing the Crimson Tide give South Carolina a chance to settle into the season.

The Gamecocks open the season with three straight home games against Kent State, Towson and Mississippi State, so South Carolina should be 3-0 coming into the matchup with Alabama.

Things get a little more dicey after that. Five SEC teams made the CFP last season, and four of those five teams (Alabama, Oklahoma, Georgia and Texas A&M) are on South Carolina's schedule this season. On top of that, the Gamecocks will end the regular season on the road against their traditional rival Clemson.

Outlook

Because of the way the South Carolina schedule sets up, the Gamecocks will not have been tested very much before facing the Crimson Tide. Pair that with the fact that this will be their first road game of the season in front of a night crowd at Bryant-Denny Stadium, and the outlook isn't looking great for the Gamecocks.

The past two matchups have shown that no matter what South Carolina looks like on paper, the Gamecocks will likely put up a good fight against Alabama. However, Alabama is the more talented team, and with it being a home game for the Tide, I'm predicting another close game but ultimately an Alabama victory.

The Game

Date: Sept. 26

Time: TBD (Night window, starting between 5 p.m. and 7 p.m. CT)

TV: TBD

Location: Saban Field at Bryant-Denny Stadium, Tuscaloosa, Alabama

Series history: Alabama leads, 15-3

Last meeting: Alabama beat South Carolina 29-22 in Columbia on Oct. 25, 2025. The Gamecocks held an eight-point lead in the fourth quarter. Ty Simpson led the Tide on a 14-play, 79-yard drive that took 7:44 off the clock to tie the game with 2:16 left. Deontae Lawson forced a fumble on the next possession, and Germie Bernard iced the game with a 25-yard touchdown run.

The Team

Coach: Shane Beamer, sixth season, 33-30 record

Offensive coordinator: Kendal Briles (first season)

Defensive coordinator: Clayton White (sixth season)

2025 record: 4-8 (1-7 SEC)

2025 rankings: Total offense (109th), Total defense (52nd)

Returning Starters

11 (5 on offense, 5 on defense, 1 on special teams)

Players to Watch

QB LaNorris Sellers, WR Nyck Harbor, OLB Dylan Stewart, LB Justin Okoronkwo

Top Newcomer

NC State transfer Jacarrius Peak has two years starting experience at tackle at the Power Four level and is projected to be the Gamecocks' starter at left tackle this year.

Biggest Question

Can South Carolina get back into College Football Playoff contention with so many players returning?

The School

Location: Columbia, South Carolina

Founded: 1801

Enrollment: 58,906

Nickname: Gamecocks

Colors: Garnet and black

Mascot: Cocky

The Program

Last time beat Alabama: 2010

Last time won SEC: Never

National championships: None

Playoff Appearances: None

Conference championships: 3 (SoCon: 1933, 1941, ACC: 1969)

Bowl record (last appearance): 10-16 (

Last season missed bowl: 2026

Heisman trophies: 1 (George Rogers- 1980)

2026 NFL Draft:

CB Brandon Cissee (Round 2, Pick 50 – Green Bay Packers)
DL Nick Barrett (Round 5, Pick 145 – Los Angeles Chargers)
S Jalon Kilgore (Round 5, Pick 167 – Buffalo Bills

Last Four Recruiting Class Rankings

No. 15 (2026), No. 22 (2025), No. 18 (2024), No. 18 (2023)

The Schedule

Sept. 5: vs. Kent State
Sept. 12: vs. Towson
Sept. 19: vs. Mississippi State
Sept. 26: at Alabama
Oct. 3: vs. Kentucky
Oct. 10: at Florida
Oct. 24: vs. Tennessee
Oct. 31: at Oklahoma
Nov. 7: vs. Texas A&M
Nov. 14: at Arkansas
Nov. 21: vs. Georgia
Nov. 28: at Clemson

This is the fourth story in BamaCentral's summer preview series of all 12 regular-season opponents for Alabama football in 2025. Ensuing stories will be published throughout June and early July.

2026 Alabama Football Early Opponent Preview, Game 1: East Carolina

2026 Alabama Football Early Opponent Preview, Game 2: Kentucky

2026 Alabama Football Early Opponent Preview, Game 3: Florida State

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