South Carolina football: predicting statistical leaders for 2021 season
By Jacob Elsey
Offense
Pass yds – Luke Doty
Doty was tabbed QB1 by head coach Shane Beamer coming out of the Spring. The job appears to be his to lose, though incoming transfer and former FCS All-American Jason Brown could make things interesting. We don’t necessarily see that happening, though, and believe Doty will be the quarterback of the future in Columbia.
The rising sophomore started two games for the Gamecocks in 2020, throwing for 405 yards, two touchdowns, and three interceptions. While his season average only came out to around 135 passing yards per game, it is worth noting that the signal caller was playing without a large part of his offensive contributors in those late season appearances.
One teammate that Doty did seem to develop a relationship with was tight end Nick Muse, who’s back in 2021. He’ll also have a few more options to throw to at wide out with the returns of OrTre Smith and Randrecous Davis, as well as the transfers of EJ Jenkins and Ahmarean Brown.
We expect Doty to take the reins day one, and stay in the lineup the whole year through. The Gamecocks will rely heavily on the run game, and Doty uses his legs a little more than your average quarterback, so don’t expect him to rack up any video game numbers through the air. Still, a 2,000 yard season is easily attainable.
Rush yds – Kevin Harris
Harris led the team and the SEC during the regular season, rushing for more than 1,100 yards and scoring 15 touchdowns on the ground. He may not tally that total next year, with MarShawn Lloyd and ZaQuandre White likely cutting into the workload, but nothing to this point has shown that Harris won’t receive the bulk of South Carolina’s carries.
South Carolina is going to run the ball… a lot. The combination of a young quarterback and unproven receiving corps could mean a struggling passing game. To take the pressure off of Doty, expect the Gamecocks to give a heavy dose of Harris and the rushing attack to opponents.
Should he notch another 1,000-yard season, Harris would become the first Gamecock since Marcus Lattimore to achieve the feat in back-to-back years.
Receiving yds – Ahmarean Brown
There isn’t necessarily a ‘go-to’ guy on the outside for the Gamecocks this season, as opposed to last year when Shi Smith notched 27 more catches than the next closest player. Smith is now in the NFL, but there is help on the way. South Carolina landed a commitment from Georgia Tech transfer Ahmarean Brown, and he’s got big play potential written all over.
Brown had an all-ACC freshman season in Atlanta, hauling in 21 passes for 396 yards and seven scores. He boasts an 18-yard per catch average, and could be a mismatch in the slot. Though small at just 169 pounds, Brown possesses great hands and top notch speed. He is our most likely candidate to replace the lost production of Shi Smith, and our pick to lead the team in receiving next year, though it could be a close race at the top.
Total touchdowns – Kevin Harris
Harris had four times as many touchdowns as anyone else on the South Carolina roster in 2020, finding pay dirt 16 times. While that number may dip next year, we’re still expecting the bruiser to be celebrating in the endzone on a number of occasions.
The tailback is a load to handle on the goal line, and possesses the top end speed needed to outrun defenders on long plays, which we saw a number of times last season. Harris scored a touchdown in all but two games as a sophomore, and has crossed the goal line a total of 19 times in his 15 career appearances. He’ll add to that total in 2021.