South Carolina football fans who are counting down the days already know that the 2024 season starts in just 34 days away as Williams-Brice Stadium will play host to an out-of-conference matchup between the Gamecocks and the Old Dominion Monarchs on August 31st.
What some might not realize, though, is that the team's preseason practice begins this week.
"Fall camp," as it is called (despite it feeling nothing like fall outside), starts at the end of the week, giving USC just over four weeks before the season opener.
With a large transfer portal group and a 15-man high school recruiting class, Carolina will have a lot of new faces vying for playing time this preseason. However, the Gamecocks are in the unique position of having a lot of veterans (both returners to the roster and new transfers), as well, and position battles will be raging at several spots over the next several weeks.
As one of the top per-player recruiting hauls in recent South Carolina football history, the class of 2024 will have several true freshmen who will make an impact this fall. Despite playing high school football less than 9 months ago, there are at least five youngsters who fans should be watching out for in the lead up to toe meeting leather on the final day of August. Whether it is a spot in the two-deep on offense or defense, a prominent special teams role, or even a starting position, these five players will earn a role on the team and will be worth paying attention to this preseason.
***This list is only for true freshmen and won't include redshirt freshmen like LaNorris Sellers, Vicari Swain, Markee Anderson, or Vandrevius Jacobs, even though all of those players could be important players in 2024.