With 73 days until kickoff, a look at South Carolina football number 73 Ryan Brubaker

There are 73 days left before South Carolina football kicks off its 2024 season with a home contest against the Old Dominion Monarchs. The Gamecocks are in for a very important season in year four of the Shane Beamer era in which they can determine if they are ready to take a step forward.

#73 on the Gamecock roster is offensive lineman Ryan Brubaker. Brubaker is a reserve player, but his lack of opportunities so far largely have been due to injuries. Both as a true freshman and redshirt freshman, the Pennsylvania native hasn't see any game action. Two leg injuries kept him out, but he appears to be healthy ahead of the 2024 campaign.

Brubaker was a candidate to be the backup center in 2023 as a redshirt freshman, and though most of his work has come on the interior, he has enough versatility at 6'6" and 315 pounds to be in the mix at multiple positions.

Brubaker was a 4-star prospect when he committed to the South Carolina football program, and he is one of many highly-touted young offensive linemen on the roster. If the Gamecocks are to be better up front than they were in 2023 (when poor play and injuries to offensive linemen doomed the USC offense), they will need some of the young crop of blockers to step up and be ready to play this fall.

With the potential exception of Trovon Baugh at right guard, Carolina likely will start veterans on the interior of the offensive line. Vershon Lee, Jakai Moore, Torricelli Simpkins, and Kamaar Bell all are redshirt seniors, and two of them should occupy the other two spots inside (Lee, almost assuredly, being the starting center). Brubaker and Markee Anderson could make things interesting as a redshirt sophomore and redshirt freshman, respectively.

The Gamecocks and Monarchs will kick off at 4:15 on August 31st.