South Carolina football, heading into the 2023 season, is in the unique position of returning many of the team’s important contributors from a season ago while still needing to replace a fair amount of experienced players who have moved on from the program.
Quarterback Spencer Rattler and wide receiver Antwane “Juice” Wells headline the returners on offense, while a pair of 2022 Freshman All-American safeties in Nick Emmanwori and DQ Smith will look to hold down the back end of the defense.
This article isn’t for those guys. Players like Rattler, Wells, Emmanwori, and Smith are known quantities. Even transfer tight end Trey Knox is a relatively safe bet to have a good 2023 season. And then there’s punter Kai Kroeger, who seemingly has no room for improvement. Well-known players like Dakereon Joyner and Jordan Strachan aren’t on this list, either.
This article isn’t even for the players who have big-time expectations despite limited experience. Incoming freshman Nyckoles Harbor and new starting cornerback Marcellas Dial both enter the 2023 campaign as players who Gamecocks fans are counting on to play big roles.
No, this article is for the players in garnet and black who could rise from relative obscurity to have big impacts in 2023.
Which South Carolina football players could blow up this fall?
Honorable Mention
Jatius Geer: Jatius Geer is a South Carolina native who began his career at Syracuse, flashing some impressive ability at times in the ACC. Now with his home state program, Geer is in contention to start at defensive end for a Gamecock squad that is, after 7th-year senior Jordan Strachan, thin at the position. Geer will play a lot in 2023 and can become one of the most important defensive pieces on the team heading into 2024 if he continues his development.
DJay Braswell: True freshman running back Dontavius “DJay” Braswell has the chance to be special. At 200 pounds, he still has track speed and has been called “even faster” than the Gamecock coaching staff thought he was. Dakereon Joyner will start at running back to begin 2023, but after that, there are plenty of snaps to be had. By the end of the season, fans can expect DJay Braswell to be a major contributor who is in position to start in 2024.
O’Donnell Fortune: O’Donnell Fortune has been a part of the Gamecock football program for a while now (he is a redshirt junior), but his overall experience has been limited. While on campus, he has been behind NFL players like Jaycee Horn, Israel Mukuamu, Jammie Robinson, Cam Smith, and Darius Rush on the cornerback depth chart, but now, the path is clear.
Fortune will have the first opportunity to start alongside Marcellas Dial at corner, something he did for the first time in the Gator Bowl last season. It was a good showing for the Sumter, South Carolina native as he showed off elite speed when he returned an interception for a 100-yard touchdown.
LaNorris Sellers: With a no-doubt starting quarterback in Spencer Rattler, it may seem strange to mention a true freshman quarterback on a list like this, but LaNorris Sellers is not the average freshman quarterback. The former 4-star has an arm that rivals Rattler’s in strength, and he is a legitimate running threat (at 245 pounds, he runs in the 4.4/4.5 range in the 40-yard dash).
Sellers won’t start at quarterback in 2023 unless something has gone terribly wrong, but he could carve out an important role in the offense. With versatile playmaker Dakereon Joyner moving from wildcat quarterback to full-time running back, Sellers could take some of the snaps #5 vacated with his position change.
Jalon Kilgore: Jalon Kilgore is not being talked about enough among the Gamecocks’ freshman class. The 4-star safety is good enough that there has been some talk about defensive coordinator Clayton White and defensive backs coach Torrian Gray shifting the secondary around at times by moving Freshman All-American DQ Smith to nickel just so Kilgore can get on the field. Don’t be surprised if he plays a pretty big role in 2023.
Tyreek Johnson: There are plenty of South Carolina football fans who might not even know who Tyreek Johnson is. The sixth-year defensive end has spent most of his career battling injury instead of Gamecock opponents, but he’s been mostly healthy this offseason and appears ready to go. Shane Beamer said about Johnson, “I think the whole team, if asked who they’d want on their side in a back-alley brawl, would pick Tyreek Johnson.”
Johnson has a chance to be the starter at one defensive end spot this Saturday against North Carolina as he was officially listed as an “OR” on the depth chart. Johnson OR Jatius Geer (questionable with injury) OR Terrell Dawkins will start up front for the Gamecocks and be a big part of the EDGE rotation in 2023.
Sidney Fugar: Sidney Fugar is a large man. Listed at 6’5″ and 330 pounds, he seems even bigger than that. With the broadest shoulders imaginable, Fugar also has very long arms that, combined with his size, make him a formidable pass blocker. He is involved in the competition at both left tackle and right tackle, and if he wins the job, it means that his footwork is up to par.
If a player with the physical tools of Sidney Fugar develops the footwork, too, a dominant season could be incoming. The Western Illinois transfer is a player who has a great mentality to play on the offensive line, as well. This offseason, Fugar has told the media that “No one’s touching my QB” and that he brings “hard-nosed, 60 minutes of hell” of “nothing pretty” when blocking. If big #77 wins the starting job at tackle, expect big things this fall.
O’Mega Blake: An in-state prospect from talent-rich Rock Hill, O’Mega Blake has been buried on the depth chart for two years. With the pass-catching talent the ‘Cocks brought in this offseason, Blake was in danger of becoming even more buried. However, word out of Columbia is that the redshirt sophomore has been really good this offseason and will contribute in 2023. If he sees the field over some of the other talent on this roster, O’Mega Blake could be in for a breakout year.
TJ Sanders: TJ Sanders didn’t start playing football until he got to high school, but he has a chance to make Gamecock fans very happy this fall that he found the sport. Sanders was the Rex Enright Defensive Player of the Spring, taking full advantage of Jordan Strachan and Tonka Hemingway missing spring practice.
A very athletic defensive tackle, Sanders will play a larger role on the defense in 2023, especially if Hemingway or Elijah Davis have to play some snaps at defensive end. The big man from Marion, South Carolina could become a household name this fall.
Cason Henry: Another potential starter at offensive tackle, Cason Henry has been one of the coaching staff’s favorite players since he arrived on campus a year ago. Perhaps most telling of his talent, Henry missed much of the offseason with an injury, but he is still in a real battle for the starting job at both left tackle and right tackle heading into the season opener.
It is not often that freshmen are ready to play tackle in the SEC, even if they are redshirt freshmen. If Henry wins the job, he has the chance to have a really good year and an even better career with up to three more seasons in garnet and black after this one.