South Carolina’s 2025 season came to a painful close on Saturday afternoon as the Gamecocks fell 28–14 to Clemson at Williams-Brice Stadium. It wasn’t the season that anyone in Columbia imagined, especially after starting the season ranked No. 13 and not with a roster built around one of the most dynamic young quarterbacks in the country. Even in defeat, Clemson's head coach Dabo Swinney couldn’t help but spotlight LaNorris Sellers. His praise was immediate and direct, highlighting exactly what South Carolina fans already know about their star quarterback.
"Listen, man, that’s that is unbelievable effort by our defense because, let me tell you, Sellers, that’s one of the best players in the country. That guy is special,” Swinney said.“He is a great football player. He’s a great kid, he’s a great player. And to hold that guy to two yards rushing, unbelievable. I mean, unbelievable.”
Sellers threw for 381 yards and two touchdowns. But Clemson picked him off twice, collapsed the pocket all afternoon, and limited him to just 12 yards on the ground, taking away the run game that South Carolina desperately needed. South Carolina’s struggles were not limited to Sellers’ rushing lanes. The Gamecocks went 1-for-11 on third down and lost two fumbles, repeatedly killing momentum when they had chances to make it a game, especially in the second half of the game.
The defense produced flashes but simply couldn’t hold up once the turnovers mounted. Special teams never found their spark. And once again, South Carolina found itself trying to continuously get themselves out of self-inflicted mistakes.
Clemson’s win boosted the Tigers to 7–5 and secured their 21st straight bowl appearance. They ended their season on a four-game winning streak. Meanwhile, South Carolina closed the book on a 4–8 season, its worst finish since the pre-Beamer rebuild. A roster that entered the year with high expectations never settled into consistency, never found its rhythm on offense, and never delivered on the promise of that preseason No. 13 ranking.
Beamer and his limited coaching staff must repair an offense that leaned too heavily on Sellers, rebuild depth across the board, and figure out why games keep slipping away late in the year.