South Carolina Football: LaNorris Sellers doubted in preseason ranking

South Carolina football fans are excited about what they are going to see this fall from expected starting quarterback LaNorris Sellers.

The heir apparent to Spencer Rattler in garnet and black is a physical freak of an athlete (6'3" and 240 pounds, reportedly runs in the 4.4s in the 40-yard dash) who also has a cannon for an arm. The Gamecocks are expected to incorporate more of the quarterback run game with Sellers at the helm, something fans remember fondly from the Steve Spurrier era when legends like Connor Shaw and Stephen Garcia dominated at times running the zone read.

While expectations are high for what Sellers can accomplish in Columbia, not everyone in the college football world shares the same optimism with the Carolina Faithful.

In a preseason ranking of the SEC's expected starting quarterbacks, College Football Report placed LaNorris Sellers dead last in the conference.

The rankings come with no explanations or context, but there are plenty of red flags in the list anyway.

Sellers lacks experience, but some of the other passers above him on the list have real question marks surrounding them, too. Conner Weigman (Texas A&M) is coming off of a major injury last season, Jackson Arnold (Oklahoma) played significant snaps in just one game and was bad, Brock Vandagriff (Kentucky) just transferred to Lexington after posting 165 yards in three years at Georgia, Garrett Nussmeier (LSU) has been a backup for three years, Taylen Green (Arkansas) wasn't very good playing in the Mountain West, and Payton Thorne (Auburn) was horrendous in 2023.

A player with as much upside as LaNorris Sellers belongs ahead of at least one of those guys. In fact, by the time the 2024 season ends, LaNorris Sellers assuredly will not be at the bottom of any SEC quarterback ranking. If the offensive line for the Gamecocks is just a little better than it was for Rattler and company in 2023, Sellers has a chance to put up some really nice numbers for the South Carolina football program.

The full ranking from CFR is listed below:

1. Carson Beck, Georgia Bulldogs
2. Quinn Ewers, Texas Longhorns
3. Jalen Milroe, Alabama Crimson Tide
4. Jaxson Dart, Ole Miss Rebels
5. Brady Cook, Missouri Tigers
6. Conner Weigman, Texas A&M Aggies
7. Nico Iamaleava, Tennessee Volunteers
8. Graham Mertz, Florida Gators
9. Jackson Arnold, Oklahoma Sooners
10. Garrett Nussmeier, LSU Tigers
11. Diego Pavia, Vanderbilt Commodores
12. Brock Vandagriff, Kentucky Wildcats
13. Payton Thorne, Auburn Tigers
14. Taylen Green, Arkansas Razorbacks
15. Blake Shapen, Mississippi State
16. LaNorris Sellers, South Carolina Gamecocks