After clearly admitting that his visit to Miami surpassed his expectations, offensive tackle prospect Neff Giwa has snubbed the Hurricanes for the South Carolina Gamecocks. Many fans who can hardly fathom why he chose the Gamecocks over Miami and Mario Cristobal have labeled his move a financially motivated one.

As Rivals’ Hayes Fawcett announced Giwa’s commitment to the South Carolina Gamecocks on X, fans trooped to the comment section to share their unrestrained thoughts regarding his move.

“NEWS: Class of 2026 OT Neff Giwa has committed to South Carolina, source told @Rivals. The 6’8 300 OT from Ireland chose the Gamecocks over Miami, Texas, North Carolina, and Tennessee. He’s a rugby-player-turned OT with 37-inch arms and runs a 4.88 40,” Fawcett wrote on X.

Giwa’s journey to the Gamecocks would not have been possible without Brandon Collier, who played defensive tackle at UMass and now helps international athletes get American college football scholarships. A visit from Giwa was all Collier needed to envision what he would look like playing college football.

“If you can create a tackle in a laboratory, this is what you want him to look like,” Collier told the AP. “It wasn’t just his size, though. Collier clocked Giwa at 4.88 seconds in the 40-yard dash and measured his broad jump at 9 feet, 10 inches — pretty freakish numbers. Then he has the toughness. You can have all these measurements, but if you’re not tough mentally and physically, then you probably won’t make it.”

Collier then instructed Giwa to open an X account and post his videos for visibility. And indeed, this singular move earned him the visibility he needed. Miami noticed almost immediately.

“Miami, they messaged me literally 60 seconds after I posted it,” Collier said. “The head coach (Mario Cristobal) wrote me a message — ‘get him to Miami.’ Like actually one minute? Literally 60 seconds, man. The power of networking and social media. People know what I do.”

Miami was the first to offer him, but Giwa ultimately chose the Gamecocks. 

Miami fans are not happy with the news

While it is good news to the South Carolina faithful, Miami fans who understood the kind of financial temptation and desperation with which the Gamecocks snatched the Irish-Nigerian athlete flooded the comment section to express their frustration.

A fan wrote in the comments, “The head coach from South Carolina is in the hot seat this upcoming season. He really didn’t think about that but he’s getting paid, so he doesn’t care.” Ä second added, “He clearly doesn’t understand the current landscape of college football. Except maybe the bag.”

Expressing his disappointment in Giwa’s choice, another quipped, “Boy just ruined his career, but oh well, on to bigger recruits.” A fourth fan urged, “Will be in the portal within 2yrs!!! Get that money!!! Then get developed at your next spot!”

In reality, however, Giwa is not as financially driven as the situation makes him out to be. Per The Athletic’s Bruce Feldman, “South Carolina wanted to give Neff Giwa a huge NIL deal so he’d commit yesterday and cancel his Miami visit,” but Giwa insisted on visiting Miami because the Hurricanes were the first to offer him. He would not have bothered paying Miami a visit if all he cared about was the money. Contrary to what many think, Columbia may just be the place he trusts best for his career growth.

That didn’t stop fans from calling out the move. One livid fan wrote, “Dude is trying to learn how to play OL so he goes to a school that has a shitty OL every season that missed a bowl game 2/3 years with a 🤡 coach on the hot seat instead of Miami, where they just played for a natty, have one of the best OL annually, and have trench god Cristobal?”

Giwa has no experience whatsoever in football, as he is a rugby player from Ireland whose rise was at the mercy of a viral workout video that showcased his unreal physical qualities. His video attracted Texas Longhorns, Tennessee Volunteers, North Carolina Tar Heels, and Miami Hurricanes, who became favorites to land him among his many admirers.

The Gamecocks needed two visits to Columbia to convince Giwa. Per On3, Giwa was originally listed to be a part of the 2027 class, but the 20-year-old, who has drawn comparisons to Jordan Mailata, has now been listed as a part of the 2026 class.