When former Georgia Bulldogs running back Andrew Paul selected the second-year Conference USA program as his future home on Friday, Rich Rodriguez and his Jacksonville State Gamecocks made a big acquisition via the post-spring transfer portal.
According to Palmer Thombs of On3, Paul joined the transfer site on April 16 after playing with the Bulldogs for the previous two seasons.
He sustained a knee injury during the 2022 preseason, forcing him to redshirt his true freshman year.Paul saw seven action as a reserve for the Bulldogs in the 2023 season, logging 29 total carries for 129 yards and a touchdown.
Paul’s NCAA eligibility will expire in 2024, leaving him just three years left.
Paul is ranked 34th as a running back and 384th overall in On3’s 2024 Transfer Portal Industry Rankings.
According to On3’s Industry Rankings for the 2022 recruiting cycle, the Dallas, Texas native attended Parish Episcopal School, where he was listed as the No. 429 overall prospect, No. 67 recruit in the state, and No. 33 running back recruit.
The Gamecocks placed third in their inaugural season as a Conference USA member in 2023 after finishing 9-4 overall and 6-2 in the conference.
In the 2023 R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl, the Gamecocks triumphed 34–31 over the Louisiana-Lafayette Ragin’ Cajuns, despite the program being deeply entangled in the controversy surrounding the NCAA’s required transition year, which barred programs in their first two years of FBS competition from receiving invitations to postseason bowl games.
Coach Rich Rodriguez of the Gamecocks hopes to improve on his team’s performance from the previous season by adding Paul, who might be a dangerous weapon in the backfield.
