South Carolina Football: What has changed on the Gamecocks’ depth chart?

After a competitive loss to the #1-ranked Georgia Bulldogs in Athens on Saturday, the South Carolina football program finds itself at a major inflection point in its 2023 season. The Gamecocks sit at 1-2 and are just three games through the country’s most difficult schedule.

A home game against the Mississippi State Bulldogs is next up for Shane Beamer’s South Carolina football team, and the matchup could be a big-time determiner of the team’s success in 2023. A win would go a long way in reaching bowl eligibility and beyond, while a loss puts the Gamecocks behind the proverbial 8-ball.

With a full understanding of this, Beamer and his South Carolina football staff have released an updated depth chart for Saturday’s pseudo-must-win game against the Bulldogs.

***Some injuries have been reflected on the depth chart (Cason Henry and Jaylen Nichols are not listed) while others have not (Juice Wells is still listed)

*** “OR” indicates that a position battle is ongoing

***There is nothing binding about this depth chart; the Gamecocks started DQ Smith, Nick Emmanwori, and Jalon Kilgore against Georgia despite Kilgore being listed as a backup on every depth chart this season

The entire depth chart can be seen below:

OFFENSE

Quarterback: Spencer Rattler (Luke Doty)
Running Back: Dakereon Joyner (Juju McDowell OR Mario Anderson)
Wide Receiver: Antwane “Juice” Wells (Nyck Harbor)
Wide Receiver: Ahmarean Brown (Eddie Lewis)
Wide Receiver: Xavier Legette (O’Mega Blake)
Tight End: Trey Knox (Nick Elksnis)
Tight End: Joshua Simon (Connor Cox)
Left Tackle: Tree Babalade (Jaxon Hughes)
Left Guard: Nick Gargiulo (Trai Jones)
Center: Vershon Lee (Grayson Mains)
Right Guard: Jakai Moore OR Trovon Baugh
Right Tackle: Sidney Fugar OR Tyshawn Wannamaker

DEFENSE

Defensive Tackle: Tonka Hemingway (TJ Sanders)
Defensive Tackle: Alex “Boogie” Huntley (Nick Barrett)
Defensive End: Tyreek Johnson OR Drew Tuazama OR JT Geer
Defensive End/Outside Linebacker: Jordan Strachan OR Bryan Thomas, Jr. OR Desmond Umeozulu
Mike Linebacker: Stone Blanton (Grayson “Pup” Howard)
Will Linebacker: Debo Williams (Bam Martin-Scott)
Nickel: Keenan Nelson (David Spaulding OR KaJuan Banks)
Cornerback: Marcellas Dial (Judge Collier)
Cornerback: O’Donnell Fortune (Emory Floyd)
Strong Safety: Nick Emmanwori (King-Demenian Ford)
Free Safety: DQ Smith (Jalon Kilgore)

SPECIAL TEAMS

Kicker: Mitch Jeter (Alex Herrera)
Punter: Kai Kroeger (Alex Herrera)
Long Snapper: Hunter Rogers (Cole Rasmussen)
Holder: Kai Kroeger (William Joyce)
Kick Returner: Xavier Legette (Dakereon Joyner OR Juju McDowell)
Punt Returner: Ahmarean Brown (Eddie Lewis)