South Carolina Football: Juice Wells announces his return

South Carolina football fans have been wondering if/when they would see Juice Wells suit up in garnet and black again. The preseason All-American wide receiver was trying to work through a foot injury when he re-aggravated that injury while scoring a touchdown against the Georgia Bulldogs. He hasn’t played since, but speculation about his future has ramped up in recent weeks.

On Monday night, #3 cleared the air about his future.

In a post to his Twitter/X account, Wells announced that he would not play against Clemson, but he will return in 2024.

It is unclear if Wells would attempt to play if the Gamecocks make their way to a bowl game, but he does plan to return as the top target for the Carolina offense next season.

Current true freshman quarterback LaNorris Sellers is expected to be the starter next season (though it is worth mentioning Spencer Rattler could return and Luke Doty will, as well). Sellers will have a former All-SEC performer in Juice Wells on one side, a 5-star speedster in Nyck Harbor on the other, and a number of talented potential slot options. Tight end Josh Simon has another year of eligibility if he wants it, too.

The news of Wells’ return is big for an offense that figured out how to get a dynamic receiver open deep a lot in 2023. Xavier Legette‘s success could be indicative of what Wells can do in the Dowell Loggains offense as he was a deep threat for the Gamecocks in 2022 even with a worse offense.

South Carolina football is losing a lot of talented pass-catchers this offseason with Legette, Ahmarean Brown, Eddie Lewis, and tight end Trey Knox all out of eligibility. Keeping Juice Wells in garnet and black is a huge deal for the 2024 version of the Gamecocks, and if he is the same type of player that he was before his injury, USC has a chance to have another good offense next fall.