Surprise! Tight end transfer joins Gamecocks after all

Brady Hunt is going to be a Gamecock after all.

The Ball State transfer tight end announced Saturday night that he has arrived in Columbia and will be suiting up for Shane Beamer and the Gamecocks next season.

The Big Spur and Gamecock Central reported this week that Hunt was going to flip his commitment from South Carolina to Texas A&M. One of Hunt’s coaches at Ball State was joining Mike Elko’s staff with the Aggies.

But he will be a Gamecock after all. Hunt was announced as one of USC’s transfer portal signees last month. But since transfers sign financial aid agreements instead of letters of intent, they aren’t bound to play there.

Hunt was expected to contribute quickly. The 6-foot-6, 249-pound former quarterback did not play in 2023 because of an ankle injury. In 2022, he caught 46 passes for nearly 500 yards and five scores.

Beamer said the Gamecocks noticed Hunt back in 2022. When preparing for a game against Tennessee, the scouting included watching a Volunteers game against Ball State.

“We were like, ‘Who the heck is this Ball State tight end?’” Beamer said. “We didn’t know it at the time, but almost two years later, he decided to go into a portal.