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The South Carolina football team will be without a key contributor next weekend when they travel to Tuscaloosa. Linebacker Bangally Kamara approached Shane Beamer this week to request a redshirt.
The ask came immediately after Kamara logged a season-high in snaps against Ole Miss. Apparently, the uptick in playing time wasn’t enough to sway him to finish out his final season with the Gamecocks.
Columbia was Kamara’s second NCAA stop as he began his college career at Pitt. After spending four seasons with the Panthers, he opted to take his talents to the SEC.
While he played in a reserve role, he still saw plenty of action.
The State Newspaper says that he logged 70 snaps through his first four appearances, the fourth-most of any linebacker on the South Carolina roster. One more appearance, however, would effectively exhaust his future eligibility.
Bangally Kamara sat down to inform Shane Beamer of his decision. That conversation might not have gone exactly how he’d intended.
The South Carolina football coach discussed the details of their talk with media this week.
“He came in my office and told me he was redshirting. I told him that’s not quite how this works,” Beamer said. “We can have a discussion about his role… We went back and forth a little bit [on his situation]…
“He was a guy that played a season high in snaps Saturday at linebacker that was going to continue to play more for us moving forward.
“My job is to do what’s best for the team. What was best for the team in my mind is ‘Gally continuing to play and help us try to go beat Alabama this weekend. He didn’t quite feel the same way.
“In the end I made the decision for him that it was probably best to move on.”
Kamara might’ve wanted to sit out while still reaping the benefits of being on a college football squad. Beamer, instead, gave him the boot!
The linebacker’s locker has reportedly been cleaned out and he’s no longer with the team.
Midseason redshirt requests have become the latest trend in the sport, with players looking to preserve eligibility should they be unhappy with playing time or NIL.
It’s presented yet another speed bump for coaches in regard to roster management.
Coach Prime on players Redshirting mid season: pic.twitter.com/JCDQ8g2JBv
— DNVR Buffs (@DNVR_Buffs) October 8, 2024
With Bangally Kamara no longer a member of the South Carolina football team, the Gamecocks will look down the depth chart to replace his production.