Veteran receiver OrTre Smith to transfer from Gamecocks
South Carolina senior football player OrTre Smith has entered the NCAA transfer portal, a school spokesman confirmed.
Smith has battled health issues throughout college and saw limited playing time this season. He has one catch for 15 yards in 2021. He played against Troy on Saturday and was targeted once in the end zone.
The Wando High School standout was a four-star recruit and a Top 130 national prospect when he signed to play for the Gamecocks under Will Muschamp in the 2017 class.
His decision to sign with USC was widely viewed as a major win for Muschamp’s staff. Smith was the No. 1 recruit in the state for 2017 and chose South Carolina over Clemson, Georgia and North Carolina. He also had offers from Florida State, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, Tennessee and others.
“Coach (Will) Muschamp said I’m a priority and they needed me and I can contribute as soon as I get there. I saw the situation and how I can see myself there and fitting,” Smith said when he committed to the Gamecocks in September 2016. “It’s the best decision for me to get on the field as fast as I can.”
He got on the field fast and did well. His best season at South Carolina came in that 2017 season as a freshman. He played in all 13 of USC’s games, made 10 starts, ranked third on the team with 30 catches, and scored three touchdowns.
Smith’s sophomore season of 2018 was cut short by a knee injury caused by a genetic issue. The effects of that injury lingered into 2019, Smith has said, although he played most of the year. He had nine catches for 69 yards in 2019, playing in nine games and making one start.
He didn’t play last year after opting out of the season because of COVID-19. Smith got COVID a year ago and experienced some breathing issues that went along with the virus, and he didn’t want to chance things, he told The State in the preseason.
He’s the third Gamecock to announce plans to leave the team since the summer. Redshirt senior offensive lineman Jordan Rhodes entered the transfer portal in August and transferred to Ole Miss.
The Gamecocks have now seen 12 scholarship players depart since Beamer was hired in December. Former four-star recruit Mike Wyman entered the transfer portal on July 15, but was the first player to do so since Ryan Hilinski in January.
ORTRE SMITH AT USC
- 2017 (freshman): Appeared in all 13 games, made 10 starts. Third on the team with 30 catches. Also had three touchdowns.
- 2018 (sophomore): Appeared in two games before season-ending knee surgery. Caught three passes for 25 yards. Took a medical redshirt.
- 2019 (redshirt sophomore): Appeared in nine games with one start. Had nine catches for 69 yards and a touchdown.
- 2020 (redshirt junior): Opted out of the 2020 season due to COVID concerns.
- 2021 (redshirt senior): Enters transfer portal after one catch in five games.
This story was originally published October 4, 2021 at 2:03 PM with the headline "Veteran receiver OrTre Smith to transfer from Gamecocks."
