After a slow start against the Furman Paladins, the South Carolina football team woke up in a big way. Down 14-7 to the ‘Dins, Shane Beamer’s team scored 40 straight points before allowing one more score to Furman in garbage time.
Quarterback Spencer Rattler (25-27 for 345 yards and 4 total touchdowns) and wide receiver Xavier Legette (6 catches for 118 yards and a touchdown) were the biggest stars of the game, but the Gamecocks had a number of youngsters demonstrate that the future of the program is in good hands.
However, a group of freshmen (both true freshmen and redshirt freshmen) showed they might be able to help the team right now, not just in the future.
South Carolina Football freshmen ready to help right now:
Quarterback LaNorris Sellers
It seems like every South Carolina football fan wants to talk about LaNorris Sellers. Considering Spencer Rattler has been among the most statistically impressive quarterbacks in all of college football (along with Heisman Trophy winner Caleb Williams and Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders), it says a lot about how exciting LaNorris Sellers was in his debut on Saturday.
Sellers played just three drives in his first collegiate action and went 4/4 for 86 yards passing and 2 touchdowns, including a 50-yard dime to fellow freshman Tyshawn Russell.
The South Florence High School alum showed off an innate “it factor” on Saturday night in Williams-Brice Stadium. On two separate occasions, Sellers escaped the Paladin pass rush on the strength of his own athleticism and natural “feel” for the game.
And that throw. The touchdown to Russell is one of the best passes that any quarterback can make. On his third read, Sellers took a short shuffle forward and threw a seed for 60 yards that hit his fellow freshman perfectly in stride in the end zone.
Now, no matter how good Sellers is, Spencer Rattler is the man at quarterback for the Gamecocks for 2023. He’s shown himself to be an elite passer of the football who, now that he has improved his decision-making, is improving his NFL Draft stock each week.
But a role could exist for Sellers within the offense. As a big-time athlete who can run the football with both speed and power, the bespectacled #16 could take over the offense in select packages that utilize a wildcat quarterback.
South Carolina Football freshmen ready to help right now:
Defensive Back Jalon Kilgore
Arguably the most proven quantity of the Gamecock freshmen, defensive back Jalon Kilgore has shown himself to be a good enough tackler and run-stopper to play in the SEC.
With Freshman All-American safety Nick Emmanwori sidelined for pretty much all of the Gamecocks’ first two games of the season, Kilgore has performed very well and could be in the midst of USC’s third Freshman All-American safety season in the last two years (joining Emmanwori and DQ Smith from 2022).
Kilgore has SEC size already, and he will only get better in the passing game as he gets more experience. That experience should continue even after Emmanwori is back from his hamstring injury. Fellow safety DQ Smith has the versatility to play some at nickel, and the Gamecocks have not had consistent production there yet in the early goings of the 2023 season.
South Carolina football fans should not be surprised if a healthy Emmanwori and Kilgore end the year as the starting safeties, and Smith ends up as the starting nickel. With all three of those players being either freshmen or sophomores, that combination could be three-fifths of the starting defensive backfield in Columbia for years to come.
South Carolina Football freshmen ready to help right now:
Offensive Linemen Trovon Baugh and Oluwatosin “Tree” Babalade
Many fans don’t typically notice offensive linemen unless something isn’t going well. The fact that the Gamecocks’ offensive line performance in week 1 against North Carolina was such a major part of conversations speaks to how poor the blocking truly was.
The overall showing against Furman was much better, and some of the Gamecocks’ best-blocked drives of the young season included some new personnel up front. True freshmen Oluwatosin “Tree” Babalade and Trovon Baugh saw their first real action against the Paladins and played well.
Tree played better than any other Gamecock offensive lineman has this season in pass protection. According to PFF, the true freshman tackle (who got most of his snaps on the left side) graded out at an elite 86.4.
Baugh, who played on the interior at guard, was almost as good at protecting Spencer Rattler and LaNorris Sellers, grading out at 84.2 in pass pro. Baugh also finished a couple of blocks in the run game in impressive fashion, including a big pancake near the goal line.
The two young linemen, along with fellow freshman Markee Anderson who is expected to make his debut this weekend against Georgia, could continue helping the Gamecock offensive line, especially if the veteran starters show some of the struggles that plagued the unit in week 1.
South Carolina Football freshmen ready to help right now:
Wide Receiver Nyckoles Harbor
College football’s biggest freak barely played in week 1 against North Carolina, much to the chagrin of South Carolina football fans. He didn’t play a ton against Furman, either, but he made his first impact for the garnet and black.
Early in the 4th quarter, fellow freshman LaNorris Sellers hit Harbor for Sellers’ second score. Harbor ran a short fade route, and Sellers threw it right to his back shoulder. Harbor twisted his body, used his impressive size to box out the defender, and plucked the ball out of the air for the score.
Harbor is a special talent who can help this football team. His top-end speed and elite size for the wide receiver position will make him a matchup nightmare for opposing defenses if he can become just an average receiver at the other aspects of the position.
If Harbor can get off the line of scrimmage against tough press coverage, if he can run routes in an acceptable way, and if he can consistently catch the football, the sky is the limit for him, even as a freshman.
South Carolina Football freshmen ready to help right now:
Defensive Backs Judge Collier, Vicari Swain, Emory Floyd, and Keenan Nelson
The South Carolina football program is loaded with young talent in the secondary. It is no coincidence that the roster looks the way it does when one remembers that the Gamecocks hired one of the country’s best defensive backs coaches in Torrian Gray in 2021.
Jalon Kilgore has already made his mark as a true freshman, but other young secondary players could be ready to help out sooner rather than later, as well.
Redshirt freshmen Emory Floyd and Keenan Nelson have both played more than a few snaps this season with Nelson starting the past two games at nickel. Nelson has struggled at times, but he is gaining valuable experience. Floyd has played fewer snaps but had a nice pass breakup against Furman this past Saturday.
True freshmen Judge Collier and Vicari Swain are athletic freaks who have extremely high ceilings. Collier has played significantly more than anyone thought he would when he signed with the Gamecocks in the 2023 recruiting class, and Swain is one of the biggest upside players on the entire team.
4 of the 5 starters appear set in the secondary (cornerbacks Marcellas Dial and O’Donnell Fortune and safeties Nick Emmanwori and DQ Smith), and Jalon Kilgore will play a lot at safety, but these other freshmen are all vying for work at nickel and in a reserve corner role that could be important in SEC play.
South Carolina Football freshmen ready to help right now:
Linebacker Grayson “Pup” Howard
Pup Howard did not play at all against North Carolina as he missed too much practice time in fall camp with an injury for the coaching staff to feel comfortable with putting him on the field against a high-powered offense.
Debo Williams and Stone Blanton have been pretty good as the starters in the middle of the defense, but with both players being relatively new to starting and with Mo Kaba being out for the entire 2023 season and Bam Martin-Scott banged up, the Gamecocks need more linebackers to step up. Pup Howard is almost guaranteed to be ready for the task.
Howard saw his first game action against Furman but didn’t play a lot. However, in his limited action, he was only three tackles off the team lead for the night. Tackling is Howard’s biggest on-field skill as a player, and it is one of the most important jobs of a linebacker.
If the big, 6’4″ linebacker is ready to contribute against the pass (both as a pass rusher and in coverage), his role should increase. Blanton and Williams played almost every snap against North Carolina, and that cannot be the reality for Clayton White’s unit moving forward.
Howard is talented enough that, if things go well for him as he is eased into the rotation, he can take over a starting spot if Blanton or Williams struggle or deal with injuries. He got some run with the first-team defense at times during the offseason, and as he gets into game shape and gets more experience under his belt, he will show Gamecock fans why his coaches think highly of him.
South Carolina Football freshmen ready to help right now:
Running Back DJay Braswell
It is no secret that the South Carolina football program is thin at the running back position. DK Joyner and Kamron Sandlin are in their first year at the position, Juju McDowell is (literally) thin, Mario Anderson came from Division-II Newberry, and DJay Braswell is a true freshman.
Against Furman on Saturday, Anderson and Braswell showed a little bit of juice running the football. Neither player stood out in the box score, but they both ran hard.
Specifically about Braswell, the trait that pops off the screen when watching his film is his speed. Braswell is really fast, and it translates well in pads. Joyner, McDowell, and Anderson aren’t slow, but none of them are speed merchants, either. Braswell is the fastest back on the roster and can be a help to this team, especially if they can block for him on the edge.
Figuring out the best combination of backs for this team to be successful on offense will be difficult, but Braswell’s unique speed at the position should ensure that he is in line for at least a few touches per game once he gets up to game speed.
South Carolina Football freshmen ready to help right now:
Defensive End Desmond Umeozulu and Defensive Tackles Xzavier McLeod and Jamaal Whyce
The Gamecock defensive line had a better performance against Furman, but the unit is not without question marks in 2023. The starting lineup is still somewhat unsettled, especially at defensive end, and the best performer up front has been TJ Sanders, who has been a bench player the first two weeks of the season.
Defensive tackles coach Travian Robertson and defensive ends/outside linebackers coach Sterling Lucas desperately need to see some players step up on the defensive line. Sanders, Tonka Hemingway, Boogie Huntley, and Jordan Strachan will play roles on this defensive front, but at a rotation-heavy position, USC needs more guys who are ready to contribute.
Desmond Umeozulu is not ready to be an every-down defensive end in the SEC, but his athleticism and length could allow him to become a good situational pass rusher. He will battle with fellow pass rusher Bryan Thomas, Jr., junior college transfer Elijah Davis, and veterans Drew Tuazama and Tyreek Johnson.
Defensive tackle Xzavier McLeod had a big boy interception against Furman, and while he probably won’t get another pick in his collegiate career, he is big enough and talented enough to get on the field behind Sanders, Hemingway, and Huntley. Redshirt freshman Jamaal Whyce will battle with McLeod for that 4th tackle role.