SAD NEWS: Gamecock head coach Shane Beamer life is on peril and threatens to leave this season…
Evaluating outlook for ‘experienced’ South Carolina football roster
Coming off head coach Shane Beamer‘s first losing season at South Carolina, the 2024 campaign is going to be an important one for the Gamecocks. However, it comes at a time of change for the SEC and with South Carolina facing a very difficult schedule.
Amid Spring ball, Mike Uva of GamecockCentral went on Andy Staples On3. There, he evaluated the outlook for an experienced South Carolina football team that has questions to answer.
“Just like any team, especially this time of the year, there’s gonna be some unknowns,” Mike Uva said. “It starts with quarterback. Even if LaNorris Sellers is the guy. To go from a veteran player like Spencer Rattler to going to a guy that’s going to be a redshirt freshman who appeared in just four games last year in limited time. There’s going to be growing pains.”
The other position of interest on the offensive side of the ball is wide receiver. That’s a group that Beamer tried to add to through the Transfer Portal but still is losing a lot of talent and has questions to answer.
“So, I say that. You have a wide receiver room that is trying to figure out who’s gonna be the guy. They have three players who have come in through the Transfer Portal. So, they’re trying to figure out, okay, we lost a lot of production in that wide receiver room last year whether it be from Xavier Legette or even from Juice Wells, who didn’t really play at all last season but produced the year prior. So, those two positions, in particular, are the ones that stand out to me.”
Outside of those two positions, Uva feels very good about South Carolina’s depth and experience. In particular, he feels good about how South Carolina is playing on the defensive side of the ball.
“I think what really stands out in terms of positives, though, is this team from an experience standpoint that took advantage of the portal like you alluded to, defensively. Defensive tackle. Edge. Linebacker. They’re so much deeper and they’re so much more experienced.”
In 2023, the South Carolina offensive line struggled. However, they did gain experience that could and should help moving into the 2024 season.
“Offensive line, same deal. I mean, that was a position that had their blemishes last year, but a lot of that had to do with injuries. Because of that at the time, you’re looking at the glass half empty at the moment, but now fast forward to the spring, you’re looking at it as half full and a lot of those players. I mean, there were two true freshmen that had to start on the offensive line in the SEC. That’s not ideal. However, you get through the season, you’re like well those guys have experience now,” Uva said.
“So, when you’re talking about having a young quarterback back there. When you’re talking about having a wide receiver room where you’re trying to find someone that can emerge. I don’t care who the heck is at quarterback, if guys can’t create separation at wide receiver.”
Another group that Uva feels very good about is the running backs. It’s another group that South Carolina used the portal heavily to add to. However, it’s a group of proven portal players coming to the Gamecocks.
“What should help them, even though they’ve been banged up this spring, is that they have a very talented running back room. They added three players from the Transfer Portal. Certainly, it starts with Rocket Sanders. How will Rocket look like coming off the surgery he had in the off-season at Arkansas, from that labrum injury? You have Oscar Adaway III coming in from North Texas, a very talented back, and Jawarn Howell coming in from SC State who had a phenomenal freshman season on top of some guys South Carolina has already had. Djay Braswell, who was a four-star back from last year’s recruiting class, and then Matthew Fuller who was a four-star who played for Connor Shaw‘s brother in Georgia last year.”
