COLUMBIA, S.C.: South Carolina’s greatest offensive playmakers are gone, not a promising prospect for an offense that had its share of issues final season.
The Gamecocks had been 5-7 and missed the postseason for the primary time in coach Shane Beamer’s three seasons. The offense ranked twelfth in Southeastern Conference scoring and, whereas quarterback Spencer Rattle r and receiver Xavier Legette fueled the league’s fourth-best passing assault, it was lifeless final in speeding.
The focus this spring? Finding consistency on offense among the many inexperienced backups and incoming transfers.
South Carolina offensive coordinator Dowell Loggains instructed his offense the primary day of spring observe earlier this month is the world judges them on three issues: “You’ve got to know what to do, you’ve got to know how to do it and you’ve got to go do it under pressure.
“We’re still in the phase of learning what to do,” he stated.
Rattler threw for six,212 yards with 37 touchdowns and 20 interceptions in his two years since transferring from Oklahoma. Legette caught 71 passes for a college report 1,255 yards final season. Also gone is Antwane “Juice” Wells Jr., who was the crew’s main move catcher in 2022 with 68 receptions for 928 yards. He transferred to Mississippi this offseason.
Leading rusher Mario Anderson left to affix Memphis, the second straight season the Gamecocks misplaced their high runner to the portal after MarShawn Lloyd, who ran for 573 yards in 2022, moved on to Southern Cal.
South Carolina even struggled holding onto new offensive assistants. Beamer introduced in James Coley, the ex-Texas A&M staffer, as receivers coach in January, who then circled a couple of weeks later for Georgia when a possibility arose there.
Beamer changed him with ex-NFL receiver and Division II Limestone head coach Mike Furrey on the finish of February, solely a few weeks earlier than spring observe began.
“It allowed us to go out and hire an even better wide receivers coach in my mind,” Beamer stated.
Practices have focused on these on the sphere, Beamer stated, not those that left.
Newcomers embody former Auburn quarterback Robby Ashford, who began 10 video games in two years with the Tigers, to associate with extremely regarded sophomore LaNorris Sellers, a five-star prospect who discovered behind Rattler a season in the past.
Sellers, at 6-foot-3 and 240 kilos, made three appearances final season. Ashford acquired no guarantees about taking part in time from Beamer, he stated, solely the prospect to compete — simply the best way he needed.
Competition “only makes me better, and this (quarterback) room better,” he stated. “At the end of the day, we always want to get better.”
At working again, South Carolina introduced in Arkansas’ Raheim “Rocket” Sanders, who was an all-SEC runner with 1,443 yards and 10 touchdowns in 2022. Sanders ran for 209 yards in six video games a 12 months in the past with a lingering knee damage that has saved him out of spring exercises.
Receiving hopes are pinned on Nyck Harbor, a sophomore two-sport athlete now competing with the observe crew. He was named the SEC freshman of the week in observe for profitable the 100 meters and anchoring the 400 meter relay crew to victory. Harbor’s 6-foot-5 body alongside along with his pace make him a powerful favourite as high goal for subsequent season.
South Carolina fortified its receiving spot with incoming transfers in Ahmari Huggins-Bruce of Louisville, Gage Larvadain of Miami of Ohio and Jared Brown of Coastal Carolina.
Brown caught 107 passes for 1,529 yards and 10 touchdowns the previous two seasons with the Chanticleers.
Luke Doty, South Carolina’s former quarterback now working at receiver, likes what he’s seen from the newcomers up to now.
“When we kick it off in August, it’s going to be fun to watch,” stated Doty, in his fourth season with the Gamecocks. “A lot of explosive plays, a lot of downhill runs, just plays being made everywhere by a lot of different guys.”
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AP faculty soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-football
(This story has not been edited by News18 employees and is printed from a syndicated information company feed – Associated Press)
