South Carolina Gamecocks News: Football win, injury update, recruiting, and more
By Kevin Miller
Here is the latest South Carolina Gamecocks News from the week, starting with the Gamecock football team’s win over Furman
After a slow start and falling behind 14-7, the South Carolina football team dominated Furman the rest of the way, winning 47-21, including 40 straight points before a Paladin touchdown in garbage time.
Spencer Rattler and Xavier Legette continued their elite play at the quarterback and wide receiver positions, respectively.
The offensive line play was better. The unit was just okay against the run but didn’t allow a sack until garbage time after giving up nine last week.
The defensive front played better, as well. The Carolina defensive line held a strong Furman rushing attack to under 100 yards and got their first 3 sacks of the season (2.5 were by defensive linemen).
The freshman class made an impact in the victory.
LaNorris Sellers (quarterback), Nyck Harbor (wide receiver), and Tyshawn Russell (wide receiver) both looked good in their first real action in garnet and black, connecting on two touchdowns (Sellers to Russell, then Sellers to Harbor).
Tree Babalade and Trovon Baugh had good debuts on the offensive line, especially in pass protection.
Defensive backs Jalon Kilgore, Judge Collier, and Vicari Swain played pretty well after debuting last week.
Running back DJay Braswell showed some solid speed out of the backfield in limited action.
Defensive tackle Xzavier McLeod had an interception off of a tipped pass, and defensive end Desmond Umeozulu played again after debuting last week.
Linebacker Pup Howard made his debut. He played limited snaps but still was just three tackles off of the team lead.
Injuries remain a major storyline for the Gamecocks.
Juice Wells remains less than 100% despite what Shane Beamer has said about his talented receiver. His status for the Georgia game is unknown, but he played only sparingly against both North Carolina and Furman.
Linebacker Mo Kaba was, as expected, ruled out for the rest of the season. Offensive lineman Cason Henry will be out “at least a month,” and fellow linemen Jaylen Nichols and Ryan Brubakers remain without timetables for their offseason injuries.
Offensive lineman Markee Anderson and defensive end JT Geer have been upgraded to probable and should make their Gamecock debuts this weekend against Georgia.
Wide receiver Ahmarean Brown left the game on crutches with what seemed like a more serious leg injury, but Beamer announced on Sunday that Brown just had a hamstring issue and was questionable for week 3.
Defensive end Drew Tuazama, defensive back Keenan Nelson, and offensive lineman JonDarius Morgona also left the Furman game with injury and are questionable for this weekend.
Safety Nick Emmanwori, defensive back David Spaulding, and running back Bradley Dunn did not play against Furman and are questionable for Saturday.
While there could be some more accolades coming in for the Gamecocks after the Furman win, some honors also were announced for South Carolina after week 1.
Wide receiver Xavier Legette was announced as a first-team wide receiver performer by PFF and was called a “stock up player” by the Reese’s Senior Bowl.
Freshman Jalon Kilgore was selected as one of the country’s top-5 true freshman contributors for week 1.
The Gamecocks made some recruiting news this week.
5-star class of 2025 defensive lineman Elijah Griffin took an unofficial visit to campus this weekend for the Furman game. The elite defensive tackle from Savannah is heavily considering the Gamecocks.
Earlier in the week, elite 2025 tight end Ethan Barbour put USC in his final five schools. The 4-star prospect also announced that he would be announcing his commitment later this month.
Class of 2026 quarterback Jared Curtis announced his top-10 schools, and the Gamecocks made his list. Curtis is a consensus top-5 player at the position in his class.
Lamont Paris’ South Carolina basketball squad got in on the recruiting action, as well.
Intriguing class of 2026 prospect Tre Raymon, a versatile player from South Pointe High School in Rock Hill, was on campus for a visit and said that he had a great visit and “can’t wait” to return.
The Gamecocks announced their 2023-2024 SEC schedules last week.
The men’s team schedule can be found here.
The women’s team schedule can be found here.
A pair of South Carolina basketball alums were honored by the WNBA last week.
Aja Wilson won the Western Conference Player of the Month award for the 3rd-straight month.
Aliyah Boston won the WNBA Rookie of the Month for the third time this season.
The Mighty Sound of the Southeast made history.