A roster shake-up just over one week before the South Carolina football team's season opener has left a vacancy in its wide receiver room.
Ahmari Huggins-Bruce, a senior wide receiver who transferred from Louisville this past offseason, announced his departure from the team on Friday, despite there being no confirmation as to when or why he left the program. In a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, Huggins-Bruce wrote, "Thank You Gamecock Nation For Everything."
Rumors started circling for two days on social media on Aug. 21, saying he had departed from the program. Head football coach Shane Beamer then confirmed the news to reporters following his "Carolina Calls" show Thursday night.
Huggins-Bruce, who announced his commitment to the Gamecocks in January 2024, had yet to play a game for the team. He arrived this spring after serving as a regular fixture in Louisville's pass offense, starting in all 13 games and catching 20 passes for 312 yards and four touchdowns last season.
The Dillon, South Carolina, native was part of a group of wide receivers that joined South Carolina this past offseason via the transfer portal.
Those rumors began to pick up more steam on Wednesday when Dowell Loggains, Gamecocks offensive coordinator, during his weekly press conference, deferred a question about Huggins-Bruce’s status with the team to Beamer, saying that Beamer "will handle all roster questions."
Loggains added later in the same press conference that competition for starting spots at wide receiver was still ongoing and that “no one's separated themselves from the pack.”
“The beauty of it is the players always control the depth chart with how they play,” Loggains said. “It’s about those guys continuing to improve and separate themselves from the group.”
He is listed back in the University of Louisville student directory. Pete Nakos of on3 reported that Huggins-Bruce has yet to rejoin the Cardinals football program and would have to walk on to play this season.
In a subsequent post on X, Steve Fink, Gamecock Athletics' associate athletic director of communications and public relations for football, announced that redshirt senior quarterback Robby Ashford will now wear the No. 1 jersey that Huggins-Bruce used to occupy. Sophomore wide receiver Tyshawn Russell, who used to wear the No. 21 jersey, will don the No. 4 jersey Ashford used to wear.
Huggins-Bruce's exit now leaves 14 wide receivers listed on the Gamecocks roster, including four incoming transfers players — senior Gage Larvadain, who transferred from Miami-Ohio, sixth-year Dalevon Campbell, Nevada, redshirt freshman Vandrevius Jacobs, Florida State and redshirt junior Jared Brown, Coastal Carolina.