Surprise! Shane Beamer puts two local Gamecocks on scholarship

A pair of Columbia kids are now on scholarship at South Carolina.

A video posted to the social media platform X on Sunday afternoon shows the exact moment that Gamecocks head coach Shane Beamer used a team meeting to surprise walk-on linebacker Ronnie Porter and walk-on running back Bradley Dunn with scholarships.

In the clip, Beamer starts out by highlighting a tackle for loss by Porter, showing a clip to the entire team of the hit and the Porter’s celebration with Beamer on the practice field.

“I love it. Look at that, I’m excited. Great job, Ronnie,” Beamer said to the team. “I’m excited — and I’m so excited, I’m gonna put you on scholarship.”

Porter, a 6-foot-1, 244-pound redshirt junior, played his high school ball at Heathwood Hall, where he was coached by Danny Lewis and, for one season, former Gamecock great Marcus Lattimore. While he played both running back and linebacker at Heathwood, the Gamecocks coaching staff offered him a preferred walk-on spot as a linebacker.

A special teams starter for the Gamecocks last season, Porter hasn’t played much at linebacker but does have three career tackles.

He also wasn’t the only one to get shouted out during that team meeting. After the Gamecocks stopped mobbing Porter, Beamer continued rolling the film and pointed out a play by Dunn.

“Love the energy here by Bradley Dunn,” he said. “That’s what he does every single day in the five years he’s been in this program. And that’s why he’s on scholarship, too.”

Dunn was a standout defensive lineman for the Hammond School, coached by another former USC player in Erik Kimrey. Dunn was a part of the Skyhawks’ 3A state title three-peat, a pass rusher in high school alongside former Gamecock Jordan Burch.

Dunn has played sparingly in four seasons with the Gamecocks. But he did see action in a half-dozen games last year, including against Vanderbilt when he carried the ball three times for eight yards.