Sports
From the Desk of Jeremiah Donati, No. 7 – University of South Carolina Athletics
South Carolina Athletics Director Jeremiah Donati discusses the hot topics around Gamecock Athletics
DEAR GAMECOCKS:
I hope you are enjoying your summer. As we prepare for the upcoming year, I am pleased to report there is a lot going on in and around our athletics department that I want to share with you.
Over 1.45 million of you showed up to support South Carolina Athletics last year, an 8% increase! Thanks to your passion, we also hit an all-time high in Gamecock Club memberships and are on pace to top it again this year. Since arriving in Columbia I have said over and over that I have never seen a more passionate fan base – THANK YOU!
With your continued support, we’re ready to make the 2025–26 season our best yet. Let’s keep building something special together.
GAMECOCK NIL/REVENUE SHARING UPDATES
With the passage of the House v. NCAA settlement the new era of college sports is here. Starting this month, we have begun distributing $20.5 million in revenue directly to our student-athletes. This number will increase by 4% annually.
In addition to the revenue share, our student-athletes can continue to earn additional revenue through traditional third-party NIL deals. This remains an important and necessary source of support for our student-athletes.
As college athletics continues to evolve, our goal is to remain proactive, strategic and student-athlete centered to ensure that we can continue to compete and succeed at the highest levels. There are several meaningful ways you can support our student-athletes and be a part of the new era: Follow our student-athletes on social media, explore NIL partnership opportunities and support the Gamecock Club. To learn more, click the button below.
GAMECOCKS IN THE DRAFT RECAP
Congratulations to Columbia native, Collin Murray-Boyles, who was selected No. 9 overall in the first round of the NBA Draft by the Toronto Raptors. He made history, as the first South Carolina player to be a lottery pick in the NBA Draft.
The MLB Draft concluded earlier this week, with junior infielder/outfielder Ethan Petry being selected in the second round by the Washington Nationals, junior outfielder Nathan Hall being selected in the fifth round by the Arizona Diamondbacks and senior pitcher Matthew Becker being picked in the 19th round by the Minnesota Twins.
Congratulations to these student-athletes and all those student-athletes that were drafted this past year.
GAMECOCKS ON THE INTERNATIONAL STAGE
Congratulations to women’s basketball sophomore Joyce Edwards who helped the United States claim gold in the 2025 FIBA Women’s AmeriCup. This win marked her third gold medal in as many international appearances over the last three summers. The U.S. topped Brazil to win gold, which included former Gamecock Kamilla Cardoso and incoming freshman Ayla McDowell.
Rising baseball sophomore KJ Scobey was invited to the USA Baseball Collegiate National Team tryouts earlier this summer. He reflected on this experience in an interview with our Director of Content, Brad Muller.
AUGUST IS ALMOST HERE
The 2025-26 season is less than a month away and our men’s soccer, women’s soccer and volleyball teams recently released their fall schedules. I hope you can catch some games at Stone Stadium and Carolina Volleyball Center this fall! Single game tickets for all three sports are on sale now. If you want to catch all three sports and more, be sure to check out the Gamecock Go Pass, a monthly subscription mobile ticket plan that costs only $25 a month and gives you access to all three sports and more (including non-conference football games and most basketball, baseball and softball games).
2025 COLLEGE BASEBALL HALL OF FAME
Congratulations to Kip Bouknight and Ray Tanner who will be inducted into the 2025 class of the College Baseball Hall of Fame in February. The duo will be Carolina’s first inductees into the Hall of Fame, which was started in 2006.
SUMMER READING
Kudos to Coach Staley on the release of her new memoir, Uncommon Favor. The book is currently on my nightstand, and I’m looking forward to finishing it soon. Her story is a powerful reminder of the impact of perseverance, purpose and leadership.
Before we know it, August will be here, all of our student-athletes and students will be back on campus and we’ll all be together in the stands cheering on our Gamecocks. I hope you and your family continue to have a great summer and I can’t wait to join you in the stands this fall!
FOREVER TO THEE!
