South Carolina football will play a game on Saturday…sorta. The Gamecocks will take on the Gamecocks in the annual Garnet and Black Spring Game at 7:00 on Saturday night. The game will be broadcast on the SECNetwork+ and the ESPN App. Admission is free for those who can make it to Williams-Brice Stadium.
Spring games are not accurate depictors of what the fall will look like for most teams and players (see DeAngelo Smith scoring three touchdowns in the 2011 spring game, two more than he scored in his entire career).
Any players who have injuries, no matter how small, won’t play. Freshmen who haven’t enrolled yet (like 5-star Nyck Harbor) are not eligible to play. Everything schematically will be very vanilla as coaching staffs do not want to show anything important on film. Players aren’t going to be playing with 100% intensity in order to avoid injury. However, there are still things that fans can learn from what they see on the field during the exhibition.
Here are ten things that South Carolina football fans can be looking for on Saturday:
No. 10: What Role Will Dakereon Joyner Play for South Carolina Football?
Sixth-year senior DK Joyner has worn many garnet and black hats during his time in Columbia. The former 4-star recruit has started games at quarterback, wide receiver, and kick returner and has also taken lots of snaps as a wildcat quarterback. This offseason, the versatile playmaker has added running back to his resume as he has spent the majority of the spring getting reps in the backfield.
The Gamecocks are extremely thin at running back. Joyner joins Juju McDowell and Newberry transfer Mario Anderson as the only scholarship players at the position. Unless the Gamecocks add a back through the transfer portal (and, perhaps, maybe even if they do), Joyner will be needed at the position as McDowell is just 5’9″ and 180 pounds and Anderson has never played above Division-II.
If Joyner plays primarily as a running back during the spring game, it likely means that the reports that have surfaced about him taking well to the new role are accurate, and he will have a real shot to be the starter. If he plays running back but also gets snaps at receiver or quarterback, it is likely indicative of the fact that Joyner will keep his “do-it-all” role. Regardless, because of his importance to this year’s offense at the beginning of the season, don’t expect #5 to play more than just a few series as many starters will be removed after some early action.
No. 9: South Carolina Football’s future at quarterback could be on display on Saturday
Spencer Rattler will be the starter at quarterback for the Gamecocks this fall. Beyond Rattler on the depth chart sits numerous 4-star quarterback recruits with multiple years of eligibility remaining. Any and all of them could see some snaps on Saturday as Rattler likely won’t play more than a few series.
Dakereon Joyner is not really a quarterback anymore, but he will probably see some snaps at wildcat this season and might take some direct snaps on Saturday. He is expected to spend most or all of his spring game at running back.
The oldest and most-experienced of the full-time quarterbacks is Luke Doty. Doty started several games in 2020 and 2021 and was the backup last season. He is technically a redshirt sophomore despite being in his fourth year of college because of a redshirt taken in 2022 and the “Covid redshirt” of 2020. He is expected to be the “starting quarterback” of whichever team Spencer Rattler is not placed on for the spring game.
Colten Gauthier is the next oldest player. Now in his third year in the program, Gauthier has not seen much game action but was highly-touted coming out of high school.
Tanner Bailey was part of the 2022 recruiting class but didn’t enroll until the summer, making this his first spring in the program. He is extremely talented and considered one of the most realistic future options under center after Rattler heads to the NFL next offseason.
Braden Davis was also part of the 2022 recruiting class. He was an extremely raw prospect who still has a ways to go before being ready to play at the SEC level. However, Davis has a very high ceiling if things fall his way.
LaNorris Sellers is a freak. A true freshman who enrolled early this January, he is capable of throwing the football 60 yards “with just a flick of his wrist” (according to tight end Trey Knox) and has run 40-yard dash times in the 4.4s and 4.5s despite weighing over 230 pounds. Reports from inside the program this offseason have said he is also more game-ready than he was expected to be when he arrived on campus. Don’t be surprised to see Sellers play a lot on Saturday.
No. 8: South Carolina Football’s New Offensive Coordinator Dowell Loggains Will Be Putting His Offense on Display for the First Time
After a tumultuous two-year experience with Marcus Satterfield at the helm, the Gamecock offense will be headed up by a new man this season. Dowell Loggains has never been a play caller at the college level, but he spent over 15 years in the NFL and called plays for four different franchises. The spring game will not be a comprehensive showing of what is to come for the Carolina offense under Loggains, but there will be things to learn from Saturday:
What type of formations does Loggains like to use?
Does he play multiple tight ends at the same time?
Which rotational receivers does he prefer to play?
Does he have his offensive line utilize a gap-blocking scheme or zone-blocking scheme?
Will he utilize a fullback/h-back as an extra blocker?
How comfortable do the players seem with their new scheme?
Does he like to go fast or huddle up?
Does the offense look drastically different depending on which personnel groupings are on the field? Or will each group be expected to execute the same general offensive plan?
There are many more questions that may or may not be answered with how Loggains coaches the spring game. Saturday will, though, provide Gamecock Nation with its first look at this offense that has been spoken about so much in recent months.
No.7: What Will South Carolina Football’s Offensive Line Look Like on Saturday? Who Will Play, and Where Will They Line Up?
On offense, most people talk about the quarterback or the running back or the wide receivers or even the tight ends. The offensive line, on the other hand, is often overlooked. However, offensive success starts with the big guys up front. If a team can’t block, a team can’t move the football. The Gamecocks are replacing three long-term starters this season but still return a fair amount of experience across the line.
Head Coach Shane Beamer told the media he had a “top-6” in mind that were leading the pack in the race to start on the offensive line. He named Jaylen Nichols, Jakai Moore, Nick Gargiulo, Vershon Lee, Trai Jones, and Tyshawn Wannamaker. Cason Henry, a young player who was expected to compete for a tackle spot, has missed much of the offseason with an injury.
Every one of the top-6 has positional versatility, as well. Nichols, Wannamaker, and Moore have started games at both tackle and guard for the Gamecocks, Jones and Lee have played both guard and center, and Gargiulo transferred in from Yale where he was the team captain who played all five spots on the line. Seeing how Beamer, Loggains, and new Offensive Line Coach Lonnie Teasley position the offensive line unit will be an intriguing storyline on Saturday.
No. 6: What on Earth Is the Plan at Running Back?
Dakereon Joyner will play some running back on Saturday. Juju McDowell returns from last year’s team, and Mario Anderson just arrived on campus this January from Division-II Newberry. How these three (and any walk-ons) are deployed could give Carolina fans a clue as to what the Gamecocks’ plans are at the position.
Joyner reportedly has adapted well to the position, but this will be the first time fans get to see him running against a defense from the running back position instead of quarterback or wide receiver. McDowell is a smaller back and likely can’t carry a full load in the SEC, but it will be interesting to see how much Loggains and Running Backs Coach Montario Hardesty trust McDowell to take on a larger role. Anderson has SEC size at 210 pounds, but no one outside of the program really knows if he can play against SEC defensive speed.
Saturday’s spring game should provide a bit of insight into the questions surrounding the Gamecock backfield.
No. 5: Young Players Will Play for South Carolina Football This Season, but Which Ones Will See the Field on Offense?
With the return of Spencer Rattler at quarterback, some experienced offensive linemen, and multiple senior receivers still being on the roster, the offense will be carried by older players. However, some young players will be forced into action at some point this season.
Markee Anderson, the talented guard from Dorman High School, has received lots of praise from the coaching staff this spring and could be part of the two-deep on the offensive line. Kylic Horton, Landon Sampson, and Zavier Short have shown promise at practice and could fight for playing time at receiver.
Four freshmen tight ends and a young, sophomore transfer could play in the spring game, as well. Older transfers Trey Knox and Joshua Simon are better-used as receiving options at the position, so the Gamecocks will be looking for a Nate Adkins-type replacement to provide solid blocking, especially in the run game. Will Connor Cox, Reid Mikeska, Maurice Brown, Nick Elksnis, Kamron Sandlin, or someone else get first crack at filling that hole?
No. 4: South Carolina Football Is Thin at Defensive End and Inexperienced Players Are Needed to Step Up
The transfer portal claimed three different defensive end/EDGE players from the 2022 South Carolina football roster. Two of the three (Jordan Burch and Gilber Edmond) started at least 10 games last season, so the position will look drastically different in 2023. Jordan Strachan was a starter at the beginning of last year but tore his ACL in week 2 and is not expected to play in the spring game. True freshman 4-star end Monteque Rhames is indefinitely suspended for a gun charge, and defensive tackle Tonka Hemingway (who sometimes swings outside) is out with an injury.
Every player who sees time at defensive end in the spring game will be inexperienced. Tyreek Johnson is an older player who has not played much to this point of his career, and Terrell Dawkins is a talented transfer who missed most of his first season in Columbia in street clothes with injury. Desmond Umeozulu was one of the highest-rated recruits of the 2023 recruiting class and will likely see lots of snaps on Saturday. Transfer Jaron Willis and youngsters Bryant Thomas, Jr. and Donovan Westmoreland are undersized players who may see some snaps at EDGE situationally.
All of these players will play in the spring game, and Carolina fans are eager to see which ones earn their way onto the field. It will also be interesting to see how willing Defensive Coordinator Clayton White, Defensive Line Coach Jimmy Lindsey, and Outside Linebackers/Defensive Ends Coach Sterling Lucas will be to move some of their more athletic tackles to EDGE when the team needs. Hemingway, TJ Sanders, and transfer Elijah Davis are all capable of doing this.
No. 3: Like on Offense, Some Young Players Will Play on Defense This Year
Which young defensive players see the field first in the spring game will provide some insight into which of them have made the greatest strides in adjusting to the college game. Grayson “Pup” Howard will probably see lots of snaps at linebacker as a true freshman, and second-year player Stone Blanton is in a similar place on the depth chart, as well. Both youngsters will likely see plenty of playing time Saturday, especially with projected starter Mo Kaba out as he finishes his rehab from a torn ACL.
In the secondary, a large group of first and second-year players will fight for playing time this year. Returning starters at safety Nick Emmanwori and DQ Smith headline this group, but Jalon Kilgore, Keenan Nelson, KaJuan Banks, Peyton Williams, and Emory Floyd are all competing. Xzavier McLeod and Desmond Umeozulu are expected to contribute on the defensive line as true freshmen, and junior college transfer Elijah Davis is very talented, as well.
Whichever players get the first opportunities during the spring game may have a leg up on the others in the battle for playing time.
No. 2: South Carolina Football’s Top Transfers from a Year Ago Leave Big Portal Shoes to Fill
The Gamecocks have added numerous transfers to the roster this offseason, and fans have high expectations for them based on the success of last season’s top transfers, Spencer Rattler and Antwane “Juice” Wells. These expectations might not be entirely fair as this year’s transfers play different positions for a different football team, but players like tight end Trey Knox and offensive lineman Nick Gargiulo will have all eyes on them during the spring game.
Knox and his tight end-mate Joshua Simon should see their numbers called early in the passing game based on how Loggains and Tight Ends Coach Jody Wright have talked this offseason. Gargiulo is almost guaranteed to start for either the Garnet or Black on Saturday, as well, as he has gotten the majority of his practice reps with the first-team offensive line. Running back Mario Anderson, linebacker Jaron Willis, offensive tackle Sidney Fugar, and wide receiver Eddie Lewis are some other transfers to keep an eye on during the game.
No. 1: Which Jersey Numbers Have Changed from Last Season?
Every spring game, there are the inevitable moments when fans ask the question, “Who is that?!” Most of the time, this is because certain jersey numbers aren’t recognizable yet. Every offseason sees newcomers take over numbers that were once worn by other players or returning players decide to change their numbers from the previous year.
Juju McDowell wore #0 in the bowl game after the transfer of Jaheim Bell and seems set to keep the number this season. Presumed contributor at corner O’Donnell Fortune has changed his number from 25 to 3, a number that was worn by Devonni Reed in last year’s secondary. There are bound to be other changes, as well, and the spring game can be a fan’s first real opportunity to get used to the new numbers.