Shane Beamer gives a hopeful update on star wide receiver heading into the bye week
After losing a number of wide receivers to the transfer portal after the 2023 season, the Gamecocks have been working with a young receiver core so far in the 2024 season. One receiver showed a lot of promise early in the season for the Gamecocks, but unfortunately, he suffered back-to-back injuries that kept him out for almost five games.
Junior wide receiver Jared Brown came into the season as one of South Carolina's top receivers and so far only has eight receptions for 103 yards, no touchdowns, but does average 12.9 yards per catch. The Coastal Carolina transfer played against Old Dominion and Kentucky before suffering a lower-body injury against LSU. He made his return during the Ole Miss game but suffered a shoulder injury against the Rebels that kept him out of the Alabama and Oklahoma games.
Heading into the second bye week, the Gamecocks are healthier than they were heading into their first bye week, and head coach Shane Beamer gave a hopeful update on the wide receiver transfer.
After suffering the shoulder injury against Ole Miss Brown missed two games of action, but the bye week is saving him from missing a third. Brown is trending towards being back for the homecoming matchup against Texas A&M
Luckily, the Gamecocks got out of the Oklahoma game with few injuries and are heading into the second bye week fairly healthy. Beamer is hoping to get defensive tackle DeAndre Jules back for the Texas A&M game just to add that much more firepower to South Carolina's already lethal defense.
Even after a big game against Alabama, including a huge interception, cornerback O'Donnell Fortune is dealing with a nagging injury that seems to have resurfaced against Oklahoma. With the bye week, however, he will have that much more time to heal up properly before hopefully hitting the field against the Aggies for homecoming.