South Carolina football fans have felt since last year that they have been in on a secret that most of the rest of the country doesn't know. That feeling is slowly disappearing as the "secret" of LaNorris Sellers is becoming more and more known across the world of college football.
The former 4-star prospect has great size, a huge arm, and impressive athleticism, traits that he showed in limited duty in 2023 as the backup to Spencer Rattler. Plays like a 50-yard score against Furman and a 36-yard touchdown run against Vanderbilt have many around Columbia daydreaming about what the bespectacled #16 can do as a redshirt freshman this fall.
As the Gamecocks are approaching the halfway point of spring practice, Sellers' talent is becoming a bigger talking point in non-Gamecock markets, as well. This week, Athlon Sports' Steven Lassan named LaNorris Sellers one of fifteen "quarterbacks on the rise" who will take a big step up from 2023 to 2024.
Not only is Sellers believed to be "the guy" in garnet and black this year, but several changes around the South Carolina football program seem like the perfect changes to facilitate the best possible situation for Sellers to succeed.
The Gamecocks brought in former USC assistant and Georgia State head coach Shawn Elliott to be the team's tight ends coach and run game coordinator. He is helping some with the offensive line (his position group while in Columbia the first time) and has plenty of experience working with dual-threat quarterbacks.
Carolina also drastically improved their running back room through the transfer portal, adding Rocket Sanders from Arkansas (who played alongside dual-threat KJ Jefferson in Fayetteville), Oscar Adaway from North Texas (who averaged 6 yards per carry last season), and Jawarn Howell from South Carolina State (who led the MEAC in rushing in 2023).
After losing a ton of players from the wide receiver room since the end of last season, USC brought in potential impact players Jared Brown (Coastal Carolina) and Gage Larvadain (Miami (OH)) and a solid contributor in Ahmari Huggins-Bruce. Even true freshmen Mazeo Bennett and Debron Gatling have a chance to compete for playing time. The receiver room isn't perfect, but it looks a lot better than many thought it would at the beginning of December.
LaNorris Sellers is one of the most hyped redshirt freshmen in South Carolina football history, but there is plenty of reason to think the 2nd-year player will deliver this fall.