"Not that far off": What Nick Saban had to say about the South Carolina football team at SEC Media Days

SEC Media Days began in Dallas, Texas on Monday, and South Carolina football coach Shane Beamer and the three Gamecock player representatives (defensive lineman Boogie Huntley, linebacker Debo Williams, and wide receiver/quarterback Luke Doty) were among the first to get in front of the microphones.

However, one of the most notable Gamecock quotes from the opening day of SEC Media Days came from someone who was not a Gamecock, at all.

Legendary head coach Nick Saban, who just retired from the Alabama Crimson Tide program after winning six National Championships in Tuscaloosa, was on hand for the event and had a few things to say about Shane Beamer's team.

"They're really not that far off," began Saban when discussing the 2024 version of the South Carolina football team. Saban cited injuries, close games in 2023, and increased depth on the Gamecock roster as reasons that things "could work out really well for them."

Saban also gave some props to the veterans on the Carolina defense, giving optimistic South Carolina fans hope that their belief in improvement on that side of the ball has some merit.

While he didn't mention him by name, Saban also seems to like new Gamecock starting quarterback LaNorris Sellers. Speaking about "a talented guy" at the position, Saban's voice perked up a bit when thinking about what the bespectacled #16 could be during his redshirt freshman season.

The "not that far off" idea seems to be a common one. Many around college football feel as if the South Carolina football program is teetering on the narrow ledge that sits between an ascension up the mountain that is SEC football contention and the loose foothold that sends the Gamecocks back down a bit in the wrong direction. A good 2024 should propel USC up a few spots in the SEC hierarchy, while another subpar season will do the opposite.

The perilous climb of another tough schedule begins for the Gamecocks on August 31st when they will play a home contest against the Old Dominion Monarchs at Williams-Brice Stadium.