South Carolina Football: Tennessee pundit ranks Gamecocks, Rattler at top of SEC East passing attacks
By Kevin Miller
Optimism is high in Columbia. The South Carolina football team finished the 2022 regular season with big wins over playoff hopefuls Tennessee and Clemson, and the end-of-year success was fueled by the resurgence of the Gamecock offense. Quarterback Spencer Rattler and his top target Juice Wells were flat-out dominant as the offense moved from “too complicated” to “simple” according to certain players, and the dynamic duo is returning to Columbia for one last ride.
With new Offensive Coordinator Dowell Loggains at the helm in 2023, there is a realistic hope that the South Carolina offense can look more like the late season version than the one that struggled for most of 2022. No one is arguing that Rattler and company could ever repeat the level of success they had at the end of the year, but if Loggains’ system yields results that resemble anything close to the juggernaut that beat down the orange contenders, the Gamecocks will field a formidable unit.
The consensus from the media seems to be that Carolina will be among the SEC East’s top offenses next season along with Tennessee and reigning national champions Georgia. However, some groups have even higher expectations than that for Shane Beamer’s team, and most of the hype is centered around Spencer Rattler.
The Knoxville News Sentinel has upset lots of Volunteer fans this week with their ranking of the top offensive units in the East. According to John Adams of KnoxNews, the Gamecocks will have the top quarterback of all seven SEC East programs.
Tennessee returns Joe Milton who filled in for the injured Hendon Hooker at the end of the season, Missouri returns starter Brady Cook, and Vanderbilt’s sometimes-starter-sometimes-not AJ Swann is also back. Kentucky and Florida welcome transfers Devin Leary (NC State) and Graham Mertz (Wisconsin), and no one knows who will play for Georgia.
After #1-ranked Rattler, Adams puts Tennessee and Milton in the second position after (like Rattler) he had a good performance against Clemson in the Orange Bowl. Expected Kentucky Wildcat starter Leary is ranked third as he looks to bring his success from the ACC on over to the SEC.
Georgia has several talented but unproven quarterbacks on the roster in (former Gamecock commit) Gunner Stockton, Carson Beck, and Brock Vandagriff, and the Bulldogs’ signal callers take Adams’ fourth spot. Fifth is Missouri’s Brady Cook who was solid but unremarkable a season ago for the mediocre Tigers.
Florida’s expected starter is Wisconsin castoff Graham Mertz who threw more picks than scores last season, so the Gators sit in sixth in Adams’ rankings. Pulling up the rear, as usual, is Vanderbilt; the Commodores confusingly seem committed to AJ Swann at quarterback after running off the athletic Mike White who led the ‘Dores to their only two SEC wins in 2022.
The Gamecocks are returning four senior contributors at wide receiver, they are expecting big production from multiple transfer tight ends, and the offensive line is relatively experienced despite losing three starters. If that supporting cast can do its part, Spencer Rattler will justify his spot at the top of this ranking, and the Gamecocks will continue their climb up the SEC ladder.