New South Carolina football starting QB tremendously undervalued by PFF ranking

South Carolina football coach Shane Beamer officially announced on Tuesday something that almost everyone knew already: redshirt freshman quarterback LaNorris Sellers is the team's starter.

The talented dual-threat quarterback will get his first career start next Saturday against the Old Dominion Monarchs, and Gamecock fans are excited about what #16 is going to do.

However, not everyone thinks as highly about Sellers as fans in Columbia.

On Wednesday, Pro Football Focus' college division released their rankings of the starting quarterbacks in Power 5 football, and LaNorris Sellers slotted in near the back of the list. According to PFF, out of the 70 quarterbacks expected to start at Power 5 schools this fall, Sellers is the 64th-best field general.

Surely Sellers' lack of experience is the primary reason for the low ranking, but even so, ranking LaNorris Sellers as the 64th-best quarterback is ludicrous. Perhaps even worse, the PFF rankings have Sellers rated as the worst starting quarterback in the SEC heading into the 2024 season. Perhaps worst of all, PFF ranks Sellers 9 spots behind Nebraska true freshman Dylan Raiola, a player who has never taken a college snap and will have to play the 2024 season under former USC offensive coordinator Marcus Satterfield.

While South Carolina football fans should not expect Sellers to be as poised and steady as Spencer Rattler was for the Gamecocks, he won't be the worst quarterback in the conference and will not be among the worst in the country, either. Even in his first year as a starter this fall, Sellers should be the program's best combination of running and passing at the quarterback position since Connor Shaw, and his skillset should help cover up some potential holes on the offensive line.

With just 10 days until opening kickoff, LaNorris Sellers' countdown to proving PFF horribly wrong is about a week and a half from ending. The matchup against Old Dominion will begin at 4:15 PM ET and will be broadcast on the SEC Network and streamed on the ESPN app.