South Carolina’s Eli Ellis (15) plays Mississippi State at Colonial Life Arena on Saturday, February 21, 2026.
South Carolina men’s basketball just lost its biggest name among potential returners for the 2026-27 season.
Freshman guard Eli Ellis announced Monday his intentions to enter the NCAA transfer portal, he told On3’s Joe Tipton. The State confirmed Ellis’ intentions to transfer. The transfer portal officially on April 7 and will remain open for players to enter until April 21. Ellis is the second USC player to announce their intentions to leave the Gamecocks — Junior forward Elijah Strong was the first to go on March 20.
The decision comes not long after the Gamecocks’ season ended at the SEC Tournament in Nashville on March 10. USC went 13-19 (4-15 SEC) this season under fourth-year coach Lamont Paris.
The Moravian Prep and Overtime Elite product averaged 8.6 points, 2.8 rebounds and 2.0 assists in 26.8 minutes per game off the bench this season. He backed up USC’s senior guard trio of Meechie Johnson, Mike Sharavjamts and Kobe Knox. His best performance with USC was Nov. 9 against Southern Mississippi, where he put up 20 points, seven rebounds and two assists in an overtime win.
Ellis was a four-star prospect out of high school, according to the 247Sports composite rankings. He held offers from Texas A&M, Ole Miss, Wake Forest and more before signing with the Gamecocks. Ellis’ younger brother and former USC commit, three-star guard Isaac Ellis, decommitted from the Gamecocks in November and flipped to Louisville less than a month later, but he won’t arrive on campus until the 2027-28 season.
Off the court, Ellis is known as a social media star. He’s gained over 2.1 million followers across his Instagram and TikTok accounts. His father Jeremy Ellis told USA Today that his son has made enough from social media and NIL profits that he could “retire now” if he wanted.
Seven other USC players have remaining eligibility but haven’t announced their decisions. Six Gamecocks are out of eligibility and won’t play anywhere next season.
USC 2025-26 roster, departures
Out of eligibility
- Eli Sparkman, G
- Kobe Knox, G
- Meechie Johnson, G
- Mike Sharavjamts, G
- Myles Stute, G
- Nordin Kapic, F
Remaining eligibility
- Abu Yarmah, G
- Cam Scott, G
- Christ Essandoko, F
- EJ Walker, F
- Eli Ellis, G (entering portal)
- Elijah Strong, F (entering portal)
- Grant Polk, G
- Hayden Assemian, F
- Jordan Butler, F
This story was originally published March 23, 2026 at 12:06 PM.
