South Carolina football: 5 freshmen to watch in 2020
By Jacob Elsey
Rico Powers
Powers has garnered some praise from head coach Will Muschamp of late, who said that the young wide receiver will play for the Gamecocks this season. Where exactly he’ll factor in is still yet to be determined.
Shi Smith owns the No. 1 role in the receiver rotation, but behind him, the position lacks experience. Powers will battle with a few returning players in OrTre Smith, Xavier Legette, Josh Vann, and Dakereon Joyner for playing time. With a strong, compact physical makeup, the rookie is already drawing comparisons to Deebo Samuel, in the sense that he turns into a running back when the ball is in his hands.
MarShawn Lloyd
Lloyd was the second five-star recruit to be snagged by Will Muschamp and his staff. And his presence my be the first to be seen in 2020. With the loss of their three leading rushers from last season, the Carolina backfield is made up of a lot of unknown commodities.
Two sophomores return in Kevin Harris and Deshaun Fenwick. Both will be in the running back rotation, as will fellow freshman Rashad Amos and a transfer that we’ll talk about later in this piece. Though Lloyd has yet to take a snap, many believe that he’ll be the opening day starter. He’s already earned the respect of the new offensive staff and should see plenty of action as a true freshman.