South Carolina Football: 10 Important Questions for 2023

As a program, South Carolina football is on the upswing. Almost every college football fan would agree with that statement. However, even with all of the positive momentum Head Coach Shane Beamer and his team are experiencing, the upcoming 2023 season has plenty of unanswered questions hanging over it.

Questions for South Carolina Football in 2023: Who Will Play Running Back?

No running back on the current South Carolina roster has significant experience as a lead back in the SEC. Lovasea Carroll hasn’t really seen any game action, DJay Braswell is a true freshman, Mario Anderson has never played at the D-1 level, and Juju McDowell is not an every-down back. Will the Gamecocks look to add a back through the portal after spring practice? If not, an unproven player will need to step up and fill the gap left by the departures of MarShawn Lloyd, Christian Beal-Smith, and Rashad Amos.

Questions for South Carolina football in 2023: Can Spencer Rattler Be Late Season Spencer Rattler?

The last three games of Spencer Rattler’s 2022 season looked dramatically different than most of the rest of his season. He was flawless in the beatdown of Tennessee in one of the best quarterback performances in the history of the sport, he made enough throws to knock Clemson out of playoff contention, and he performed well against Notre Dame in the Gator Bowl. He struggled most of the other games on the schedule. Will new Offensive Coordinator Dowell Loggains help unlock something in Rattler that pushes the talented signal caller into consistently playing at a high level? Gamecock fans hope so.

Questions for South Carolina football in 2023: Didn’t the Gamecocks Lose All of Their Tight Ends?

In a word: yes. Five scholarship tight ends left, either through transfer, graduation, or retirement. Most notable of these losses were Jaheim Bell and Nate Adkins. Transfer receiving tight ends Trey Knox from Arkansas and Joshua Simon from Western Kentucky will look to take on much of Bell’s workload, and senior receiver Xavier Legette will help out, as well. Adkins and Austin Stogner both served as extra blockers and possession targets for Spencer Rattler and are being replaced by transfer Nick Elksnis and several incoming freshmen Connor Cox and Reid Mikeska.

Questions for South Carolina football in 2023: How Will Nyck Harbor Be Used?

Nyckoles Harbor is a freak. Expected to be primarily used on offense, Shane Beamer and his staff will have their hands full trying to best utilize one of the fastest players in America who also just so happens to be 6’5″ and 230 pounds. Harbor has Olympic dreams, so he is not expected to gain much weight at South Carolina. This could limit his usage anywhere but at wide receiver, but Harbor and Beamer have both hinted at Defensive Coordinator Clayton White unleashing the blur from Washington DC as a pass rusher on obvious passing third downs. A player as explosive as Harbor will be a must-watch every time he steps on the field, no matter what his role is.

Questions for South Carolina football in 2023: What Will Dowell Loggains Bring to the Table?

The biggest coaching mystery at South Carolina is Dowell Loggains. He did not have a good run as an offensive coordinator in the NFL, but he is raved about by the position groups he coached, especially quarterbacks. He has never called plays at the college level, but many Arkansas fans were ready to ship Kendall Briles out of town and replace him with Loggains. South Carolina football fans were glad to see former Offensive Coordinator Marcus Satterfield exit the program, but the questions surrounding Loggains as his replacement are swirling. He claims to bring multiple offensive looks to the program and wants the offensive to move quickly. For most Gamecock fans, none of that matters: just be better than Marcus Satterfield.

Questions for South Carolina football in 2023: What About the Suspended Players?

Last month, South Carolina football Head Coach Shane Beamer suspended three players,  redshirt freshman Anthony Rose and true freshmen Monteque Rhames and Cameron Upshaw. We still only know some details surrounding the suspension. What we do know is that the three players in question are in trouble because of having a gun on campus. Rhames, at least, was arrested and charged; it is unclear if the other two players faced or will face any charges. All three players were expected to compete as developmental pieces on defense. No new details have emerged about the players’ status legally, with the team, or with the University of South Carolina.

Questions for South Carolina football in 2023: How Will The Defense Look at Corner?

With Cam Smith and Darius Rush both likely selected in April’s NFL Draft, two gaping holes exist on the outside of Defensive Coordinator Clayton White’s unit. Lots of questions now exist regarding the position. Marcellas Dial has played a lot of football for the Gamecocks and looks to be in line to start at one of the cornerback spots, but is he ready for full-time duty? KaJuan Banks and O’Donnell Fortune both played some reserve snaps at the position, as well, but will they or another player step up to fill the shoes left by the NFL talents before them? Cam Smith spent some time inside at nickel, and presumed safety starter DQ Smith did as well, so who takes the spot in 2023? Time will tell.

Questions for South Carolina football in 2023: What About at EDGE?

Jordan Burch’s and Gilber Edmund’s departures hurt this position group a lot. While Burch had not lived up to his five-star expectations, he was a solid player who was improving. The transfer of Edmund hurts positional depth, while Jordan Strachan is recovering from yet another ACL team and is still waiting on the NCAA to grant him a final year of eligibility. Tonka Hemingway and Bam Martin-Scott have both played some defensive end but are best suited at tackle and linebacker, respectively. Young players are going to have to step up, so the summer developments of returner Bryan Thomas, Jr. and newcomers Elijah Davis and Desmond Umeozulu will be paramount.

Questions for South Carolina football in 2023: Can Linebacker Be Better Next Year?

Sherrod Greene and Brad Johnson were good Gamecocks. However, their production on the field was less-than-ideal for SEC linebackers. Youngster Stone Blanton needs to get faster in order to contribute positively at the position, and Bam Martin-Scott has shown promise but lacks experience. Incoming freshman Grayson “Pup” Howard could be looking at very early playing time in 2023 if he progresses well before the season. The defense’s best player from a year ago was freshman safety Nick Emmanwori, but he could move to linebacker if needed. The Gamecock coaching staff also has to figure out the linebacker coach situation as rumors floated around last season that an analyst was handling most of the coaching duties at the position when Clayton White was listed as the coach on paper.

Questions for South Carolina football in 2023: Could Pete Lembo Possibly Have More Tricks Up His Sleeve?

Pete Lembo is the best special teams coordinator in the country. He routinely swings games by stealing points with special teams trickeration and has extremely well-coached specialists. Last season, South Carolina football was second in the nation in blocked punts, returned a kickoff for a touchdown, and had multiple other special teams scores. Can Coach Lembo and his unit continue dominating the third phase of the game in 2023?