The South Carolina Gamecocks will take on the Kentucky Wildcats at home this Saturday. Head coach Shane Beamer desperately could use a victory to improve morale among the Gamecock fan base. To do just that, apparently he is even willing a quarterback change from starter LaNorris Sellers.
According to ESPN's Pete Thamel, the Gamecock coaching staff gave increased first-team reps in practice this week to Sellers' backup, Cutter Woods.
Per Thamel, Cutter received "nearly a quarter" of the first-team reps earlier in the week. Later in the week, the majority of those reps went back to Sellers, as he still remains the starter. ESPN's report added that Beamer's theme at practice this week against Kentucky was competition, and the staff is hoping to send a message to Sellers that he needs to play better.
What does this mean for Sellers and South Carolina?
While Sellers is expected to still be South Carolina's starting quarterback against Kentucky, the staff is at the very least willing to replace him if necessary. Cutters did see a few game reps last week against Alabama during the 49-18 blowout loss last week, he was South Carolina's quarterback inside the game's last two minutes in the final drive of the game.
According to @PeteThamel South Carolina sophomore QB Cutter Woods saw an uptick with reps with the 1s and could replace LaNorris Sellers today pic.twitter.com/EaTgTFXok4
— Chris Marler (@Vern_Funquist) October 3, 2026
He also saw action during blowout wins over Kent State and Towson, completing seven passes for 74 yards and a touchdown in those wins.
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For Sellers, it's clear that the coaching staff has not seen enough from him in recent weeks to give South Carolina a chance to win. In the last three weeks, he has thrown four interceptions with just three touchdowns. The Gamecocks' passing offense ranks ninth in the SEC and 64th nationally. His 62.1% completion percentage is tied for 14th in the conference. He had a fumble late in the fourth quarter against Alabama, as well.
When asked this week if Woods could see more playing time this season, South Carolina offensive coordinator Kendal Briles didn't shy away from saying it is a possibility.
"There's always a chance," Briles said via Gamecocks247. "Our guys are competing today at practice and in every position. Everybody's competing all the time. There's always a chance for anybody to be able to get out there. If we feel like that was what gave us the best chance to win the game, then that's what we'd do."
2026 is Woods' second season with the team. On his career, he's completed 17 passes for 161 yards with one touchdown and one interception. He signed with South Carolina's 2025 recruiting class as a former three-star quarterback per the 247Sports Composite. A native of Anderson, S.C. he was rated as the No. 38 signal-caller in his class and 16th overall from South Carolina.
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