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The South Carolina football program picked up a commitment from international prospect Neff Giwa over the offseason. Their means of securing his signature were called into question.
Reports of potentially shady dealings surfaced amid his recruitment. Shane Beamer has denied the baseless claims.
Giwa is an interesting player that’s recently skyrocketed up recruiting boards. A rugby star, he’s never taken a snap of competitive football. His athleticism, however, is off the charts.
The future offensive lineman stands 6-foot-7 and weighs 300 pounds. He runs a 4.88-second 40-yard dash. His broad jump was recorded a touch under 10 feet.
A number of coaches were intrigued by his abilities. The ceiling could be high with the correct development. Giwa landed scholarship offers from top programs around the country. He made his decision this week.
Neff Giwa picked South Carolina.
#NeffSaid 🤙🏻 https://t.co/aJGoUMVK9o
— Shane Beamer (@CoachSBeamer) March 29, 2026
Giwa committed and signed with the Gamecocks on Sunday. He expects to be on campus in May to prep for the 2026 season.
He chose the program over the likes of Miami, Texas, Tennessee, and North Carolina. Ultimately, it appeared a two-team race between the Gamecocks and Hurricanes.
Giwa visited South Carolina last week. Bruce Feldman of The Athletic suggested that Shane Beamer attempted to pressure the recruit into a commitment with an NIL inducement.
South Carolina wanted to give Neff Giwa a huge NIL deal so he’d commit yesterday and cancel his Miami visit. But since Mario Cristobal was the towering OT prospect from Ireland’s first offer, Giwa still wanted to take the trip to UM. He is visiting the Canes right now. https://t.co/d680plXuoq
— Bruce Feldman (@BruceFeldmanCFB) March 24, 2026
The Gamecocks hosted Giwa on March 23rd. He was scheduled to take a trip to Coral Gables a day later. Feldman says Beamer tried to get the prospect to cancel his visit by offering a massive NIL deal.
It failed as Giwa ultimately made it to Miami’s campus. The Hurricanes did not do enough to earn his commitment.
Shane Beamer denies the claim.
Shane Beamer said it’s not true that South Carolina was trying to throw money at Giwa to commit.
Said he wanted Giwa to commit that day b/c he sat in Beamer’s office talking about how much he loved South Carolina https://t.co/MZppptW5UV
— Jordan Kaye (@jordankaye_23) March 31, 2026
He says relationships, not money, won out. Neff Giwa wanted to be at South Carolina. Shane Beamer just tried to speed up the process.
Giwa’s trainer, Brandon Collier, appeared to confirm that assertion. He revealed that wealthier schools offered much more money.
Neff turned down significantly more from other contenders to sign at South Carolina because of the time he had with Coach Beamer and Coach Klemm, nothing about money was his reason for choosing the gamecocks…. If yall only knew this wasn’t even in the ball park of some others.
— Brandon Collier (@BCollierPPI) March 31, 2026
In the end, Giwa chose the place he was most comfortable. He believes South Carolina can help him develop. Attention now turns to his future in Columbia. He’ll work to land a spot in the offensive line rotation.