Bam Martin-Scott wants one more year at South Carolina. Why he’s asking NCAA for grace

The Cheez-it Citrus Bowl is supposed to be the final college football game for sixth-year South Carolina linebacker Bam Martin-Scott. Or maybe it won’t be.

Martin-Scott, who began his college career at Dodge City Community College in 2019, will play in Tuesday’s Citrus Bowl likely not knowing whether it’ll be the final time he’ll suit up for the Gamecocks — or if he’ll get the chance to come back for the 2025 college football season.

This eleventh-hour revelation stems from a court ruling in favor of Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia, who sued the NCAA claiming his time playing junior college football should not count toward his NCAA eligibility.

The court agreed with Pavia and, in response, the NCAA created a waiver that will allow some student-athletes who spent time at a junior college to gain an extra year of eligibility.

The key word there: “some.” The waiver is only for student-athletes who would have used their final year of eligibility during the 2024-25 season (which includes Martin-Scott) and are still within their five-year eligibility clock.

The latter element is where Martin-Scott faces a hurdle. Unlike Pavia, who started at New Mexico Military Institute in 2020, Martin-Scott began playing college football in 2019 and is no longer within that five-year window.

“As soon as (the Pavia ruling) happened, I was in communication with (Martin-Scott), (defensive coordinator Clayton White) was, all of us were,” head coach Shane Beamer said. “We’ll see what happens and hopefully the NCAA will do the right thing.”

Martin-Scott, following a Citrus Bowl practice Friday, told reporters that he has started the process of filing an appeal to the NCAA to extend his eligibility clock.

What isn’t in doubt: South Carolina wants him to come back, and Martin-Scott — who would start next season at 25 years old — wants to play another year of football for the Gamecocks.

“I love this program. I like the trajectory it’s going on,” Martin-Scott said. “I would love to come back.”

Coming off a season in which he recorded 65 tackles (third on the team) and nine tackles for loss (also third), Martin-Scott’s return would be mighty helpful for a South Carolina defense that will lose over half of its starters — including its two most-used linebackers: Debo Williams and Demetrius Knight.

Martin-Scott did play plenty in 2024 — appearing in all 12 games and lining up for 446 snaps (No. 11 among USC’s defenders). With Williams and Knight gone next season, one would expect that Martin-Scott would become a sure-fire starter and see an increased role.