The watch lists keep coming in quickly as the South Carolina Gamecocks football team continues to gain some recognition. Between individual players, the coaches, or the team as a whole, the hype grows as we get closer and closer to the season opener on August 31 in Atlanta, GA. The most recent preseason award watch list revealed was for the 2025 Walter Camp Award, which is awarded to the Player of the Year in college football. What makes this significant is that not one, but two Gamecocks made the list.
The fourth-oldest individual award has 46 players placed on the watch list, and it was LaNorris Sellers, along with teammate Dylan Stewart, who were named to the preseason list. 37 schools, 11 conferences, including independents, made the watchlist, with the Texas Longhorns having the most players (three). However, the Gamecocks joined Arizona State, Ohio State, Clemson, Penn State, and Vanderbilt as one of six schools to have at least two players.
It comes as no surprise that Sellers and Stewart made the list, as both players had sensational freshman seasons for the Gamecocks. Sellers threw for 2,534 yards while rushing for another 674. He threw 18 passing touchdowns, while also running for another seven. He is poised for a stellar sophomore season as he looks to lead the Gamecocks to the college football playoffs.
Stewart had 17 solo and 23 total combined tackles for the Gamecocks in 13 games last season in 2024. He also tacked on 11 tackles for loss and 6.5 sacks in the process. Stewart also had three forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries to round out a standout freshman season. There is no reason why Stewart cannot have eight or more sacks this upcoming 2025 season for Shane Beamer and the Gamecocks.
The 46-player list is narrowed down to 10 semi-finalists at the beginning of November, before the three Walter Camp finalists are announced in early December. After 133 NCAA FBS coaches and sports directors vote, the winner will be announced on December 12 at the College Football Award Show on ESPN.
If both Stewart and Sellers have remarkable sophomore seasons for the Gamecocks, there could be a case to be had for one of these guys to be a finalist come December. While both would be amazing, at least one will show how far this team has come since Beamer took over, along with the talent that's been added to Carolina. Either way, it's good to see players from the Gamecocks get the recognition they deserve for the hard work they've put in since setting foot on campus in Columbia.