South Carolina football officially began spring practice on Tuesday.
Over the next month, the Gamecocks will practice, hold press conferences, and give little teasers to the fanbase as they eagerly anticipate the 2024 football season. Then, to put a bow on the spring, on April 20th, USC will play its annual Garnet and Black Spring Game under the lights of Williams-Brice Stadium.
Fans can't wait to overanalyze every position group that gets put on the field, question each and every coaching decision, worry to death about every player who isn't a "full-contact participant" in one practice, and try to catch a glimpse of which recruits find their way into pictures and videos from visiting spring practice. With 1 day of practice down, some fans have already started.
But between now and April 20th, the garnet and black faithful are most hopeful that their favorite team will answer the many questions that surround them.
There will be plenty of smaller questions that will be answered like "which players are sporting new numbers?," "which players gained or lost weight?," and "who is in the best shape of their lives?"
But there are 7 questions that South Carolina football fans should be looking to have answered above all others.
South Carolina Football's 7 Spring Practice Questions:
How will Dowell Loggains' offense change with LaNorris Sellers?
LaNorris Sellers is the starting quarterback for the South Carolina Gamecocks. Shane Beamer all but made that announcement earlier this offseason. Even with Robby Ashford and Davis Beville transferring in for competition, Sellers is the guy unless he proves himself not to be the guy.
But he is a different style of quarterback than his predecessor, Spencer Rattler.
While Rattler was a pocket passer who possessed enough athleticism to make some things happen, Sellers is a true dual-threat quarterback. At 6'3" and 240 pounds, the redshirt freshman has been clocked in the 4.5s in the 40-yard dash and was rumored to be in the 4.4s last season.
The offense won't look the same as the pass-heavy scheme offensive coordinator Dowell Loggains employed last year, but it's not just because of the quarterback spot. The Gamecocks could not run the football consistently at all in 2023, and with a (hopefully) healthier offensive line and more talent in the running back room after adding Rocket Sanders, Oscar Adaway, and Jawarn Howell, Carolina is going to try to utilize the ground game.
Bringing in Shawn Elliott to serve as the run game coordinator has instilled confidence in the fan base as the previous time he was in that position (2010-2015), the Gamecocks had their best rushing attack of the modern era. LaNorris Sellers could play a similar role to Stephen Garcia and Connor Shaw from those offenses (2010-2013).
Last year, USC ran 452 pass plays (including sacks but not including Spencer Rattler scrambles, so the number is actually higher) compared to 328 non-sack rushing attempts. Those passing plays accounted for over 3x as many yards as the running plays as South Carolina football threw for 278 yards per game but rushed for 85 yards per game.
Those numbers are sure to be more balanced this fall, but fans will have their first chance this spring to see just how drastic the changes might be.
South Carolina Football's 7 Spring Practice Questions:
How will the new coaches affect things in Columbia?
There was a lot of turnover within Shane Beamer's coaching staff this offseason.
Montario Hardesty was fired, Justin Stepp was moved and then left for Illinois. Pete Lembo became the head coach at Buffalo, Jody Wright is the new headman at Murray State, and James Coley (who was hired to replace Stepp, moving him to tight ends) left after just 45 days on the job for the rival Georgia Bulldogs.
When the dust settled, Marquel Blackwell took over the running back coach duties, Mike Furrey is the new wide receivers coach, Joe DeCamillis is the special teams coordinator and associate head coach, and Shawn Elliott returned to coach tight ends and be the run game coordinator.
How might the coaching changes affect the South Carolina football program?
Elliott's fire and intensity will be very noticeable this spring, but will it translate to an improved run game and better blocking from the tight end position?
Joe D brings a ton of experience from the NFL, but special teams philosophies at the pro level and college level aren't the same. It will be interesting to see if Carolina can bounce back to elite special teams production like 2021 and 2022 and if the aggressive attitude in the "other third" of the game will return.
Blackwell has to be an upgrade over Hardesty (because how couldn't he be?), but the Gamecocks need a big leap forward from that position group if they have any real chance of getting back to respectability.
As a former NFL receiver, Furrey should provide plenty of expertise as he coaches his room. Will it translate to production at one of the biggest positional question marks on the team?
South Carolina Football's 7 Spring Practice Questions:
What defense will the Gamecocks be using in 2024?
The defensive line rotated much more frequently and much more situationally based. The linebackers played all over the field. The secondary seemed to play with more confidence as the men in front of them were better.
Will defensive coordinator Clayton White revert back to his typical 4-2-5 or keep what worked late in the season? Will he try to be more "multiple" and utilize both schemes?
Last season, after the switch to the 3-3-5, the defense struggled when they would try to mix in the 4-2-5 (both of Kentucky's scoring drives came against majority 4-2-5 looks). Multiplicity sounds good on paper, but it is hard to pull off in the actual flow of a game.
These questions likely won't be answered during spring practice (unless the staff has decided to abandon one look completely, which is unlikely), but there will be a chance to see what personnel usage might look like for the Gamecock defense. With a lot of players who can play multiple spots, positional usage will be worth monitoring this spring.
South Carolina Football's 7 Spring Practice Questions:
Will the offensive line be better?
As good as Spencer Rattler and Xavier Legette were in 2023, the Gamecock offensive line sabotaged any opportunity USC had of having a consistently good offense.
Between injuries, poor play, and youngsters being forced into early action, Lonnie Teasley's unit struggled in a mighty way. Carolina posted its fewest rushing yards per game in team history, and Spencer Rattler was one of the country's most sacked quarterbacks. Things have to improve up front or there will be a lot of uncomfortable folks around Columbia this fall.
What will be seen from the offensive line this spring that can instill a little bit of hope into South Carolina football fans?
The injury bug started biting the Gamecocks in the spring last year, so just making it through spring practice with a healthy 2-deep on the offensive line would be an improvement.
Plus, with the amount of players with starting experience on the roster (Vershon Lee, Trovon Baugh, Torricelli Simpkins, Jakai Moore, Kamaar Bell, and Ni Mansell have starting experience on the interior; Vershon Lee, Jakai Moore, Tree Babalade, Cason Henry, Jaxon Hughes, and Sidney Fugar have started games at tackle), the Gamecocks have a lot of candidates for the top-10 up front before even considering freshmen like Josiah Thompson, Kam Pringle, Blake Franks, Markee Anderson (redshirt freshman), or Jatavius Shivers (redshirt freshman).
With Teasley now in year 2 as the offensive line coach and former offensiv line coaches Shawn Elliott and Greg Adkins (off-field role) on staff, the coaching should be improved from a year ago, as well.
It seems impossible that the unit won't be better in 2024, and the first (hopeful) proof of that will come over the next month.
South Carolina Football's 7 Spring Practice Questions:
What the heck is going to happen at wide receiver?
Xavier Legette was a monster in 2023, but other than his explosion onto the scene, the Gamecock receiver room was a disaster. Juice Wells was hurt and then didn't play when healthy before transferring, Nyck Harbor was still learning a new position, and quarterback Luke Doty had to enter the rotation.
With Wells, O'Mega Blake, and three reserves all transferring and Legette, Eddie Lewis, and Ahmarean Brown all graduating, the wide receiver position is one of the biggest mysteries on the field for South Carolina.
The Gamecocks brought in three transfers in Jared Brown, Gage Larvadain, and Ahmari Huggins-Bruce and two freshmen in Mazeo Bennett and Debron Gatling. Brown and Larvadain seem destined for big roles, but AHB and at least one of the freshmen likely will carve out a role, as well.
For the returners, Luke Doty will be involved in some manner, and Nyck Harbor will get more opportunities (though, he might not be around much during the spring due to track). Payton Mangrum is a former walk-on who has the coaching staff's trust, and Tyshawn Russell and Elijah Caldwell are names the staff have spoken highly of in the past.
This spring won't reveal the Gamecocks' starters for game 1 in August, but figuring out a general top-6 at the position could be possible over the next month.
South Carolina Football's 7 Spring Practice Questions:
How will the transfers integrate?
Shane Beamer and his South Carolina football coaching staff brought in one of the top transfer classes in the country this offseason. They did it in a little bit of a different way than other teams, though, as the Gamecocks brought in a bunch of quality players rather than one or two stars and then some roster fillers.
Wide receiver, as mentioned previously, will be heavily influenced by transfers (especially Jared Brown and Gage Larvadain), but so will running back. Rocket Sanders is the presumed starter if healthy, but he might not practice this spring as he rehabs his shoulder. Will Oscar Adaway or Jawarn Howell pass by returners Juju McDowell and Djay Braswell on the depth chart?
The offensive line is a bit of a mystery outside of the fact Vershon Lee will start somewhere. Transfers like Kamaar Bell, Torricelli Simpkins, and Aaryn Parks are all hoping to fight their way into the 2-deep.
Robby Ashford isn't going to start at quarterback unless something goes wrong, but with his size and athleticism, he could spell LaNorris Sellers at times in obvious running situations to take some of the load off of the freshman's shoulders. Other than pure gadget plays, the ways Ashford will be used will be practiced this spring.
Is the Brady Hunt hype real at tight end?
On the defensive line, the Gamecock coaching staff added a lot of new talent through the portal despite some prominent names returning. They didn't bring in Deandre Jules, Monkell Goodwine, and Kyle Kennard for no reason, but there are a lot of bodies in the defensive line room, especially at defensive tackle. Gilber Edmond is back to help Kennard make an impact at EDGE.
Bangally Kamara and Demetrius Knight are athletic players at the linebacker position. Will either separate himself as the Gamecocks' 3rd linebacker behind Debo Williams and Bam Martin-Scott?
Gerald Kilgore and Buddy Mack could be solid veteran depth pieces.
Figuring out how all of these players integrate into their position groups will be fascinating to see, and spring practice will be the first opportunity fans will have to see most of these guys in garnet and black.
South Carolina Football's 7 Spring Practice Questions:
Which freshmen could see the field early?
The biggest names in the class are 5-star prospects Dylan Stewart (EDGE) and Josiah Thompson (offensive tackle), and the two high school All-Americans will have all eyes on them at times this spring. Stewart could be fighting for early playing time as a position of need, while Thompson weighed in at 265 pounds at the All-American Bowl but is listed at 300 pounds at USC.
4-star offensive tackle Kam Pringle has been out with an injury most of the time since his enrollment, so checking in on the 330-pounder's health will be a major priority for many. Markee Anderson missed his entire true freshman season last year with a knee issue, so this will be his freshman campaign, as well.
Dante Reno likely won't see the field at quarterback during his first year on campus, but as a 4-star quarterback prospect, he will still garner plenty of attention during spring practice.
First-year wide receivers Mazeo Bennett and Debron Gatling will have a clearer path to playing time than many freshmen across the country as the Gamecocks' top returning receiving numbers are 13 catches (Luke Doty) and 195 yards (Nyck Harbor). Can the freshmen pass anyone on the depth chart this spring?
The freshmen linebackers (Fred "JayR" Johnson and Wendell Gregory) are freaky athletes. Could they find situational roles on defense or be contributors on special teams? The young safeties (Kelvin Hunter and David Bucey) are behind veterans on the depth chart, but they appear to be ideal special teamers on coverage units.
Does freshman Mason Love factor into the kicking job at all, or will redshirt senior Alex Herrera take over after Mitch Jeter's transfer?
Being so far away from fall practice, there is still plenty of time before any freshmen will claim spots in the 2-deep, but spring practice could provide some early indicators for which young players are close to contributing.