South Carolina lost a key member of its 2023 recruiting class to the transfer portal on Tuesday evening.

Former 4-star linebacker Grayson Howard has entered the transfer portal. Howard was one of South Carolina’s top-rated freshman this past season.

Here’s his announcement:

Howard is a big loss for the Gamecocks. He was the No. 184 overall player and the No. 18 linebacker in the country for the class of 2023, per 247Sports Composite rankings. He was also the No. 43 player from the state of Florida.

Howard had a solid role with South Carolina during his true freshman season. He finished the year with 19 tackles, 1 tackle for loss and 1 forced fumble. He likely would have had more responsibility on South Carolina’s defense in 2024 had he chosen to return.

He is the 22nd player from South Carolina’s 2023 roster to enter the transfer portal so far this offseason. The Gamecocks have also been active in adding talent via the portal so far this offseason. They’ve already received commitments from 8 transfers for the 2024 season.