There is no doubt that Urban Meyers knows a thing or two about hostile environments. The three-time national championship coach has led his team through the trenches of some of the loudest and most chaotic stadiums in the SEC and Big Ten. From the Swamp to the Horseshoe, Death Valley to the Big House. But when he was recently asked about the most underrated venues, Meyer didn't hesitate to put WIlliams-Brice Stadium at the top of his list.
In a recent episode of The Triple Option Podcast, Meyer and co-host Mark Ingram broke down the preseason win total for the South Carolina Gamecocks, which currently sits at 7.5 wins according to BetMGM. And Ingram didn't just take the over, he cited a reason that the Gamecocks already believe in.
“I’ve got them going over 7.5 because of LaNorris Sellers,” Ingram said on the podcast.
Meyer agreed and followed up with praise for the sophomore quarterback, Shane Beamer, and the environment that Gamecock creates every Saturday in Columbia.
“I like their coach, and I think it’s the most underrated place in college football to play,” Meyer said. “That stadium, wow. Williams-Brice.”
Ingram, who played for the Alabama Crimson Tide backed up Meyer's statement with a painful, but unforgettable, memory that South Carolina and Alabama fans won't soon forget. 2010.
“It is tough to play there. That’s why you said Alabama at South Carolina. I was No. 1 in the country, went to South Carolina and we got ambushed,” Ingram recalled. “That is not an easy place to play.”
Heading into the 2025 campaign with LaNorris Sellers under center and Dylan Stewart expected to make big moves on the defense, both Meyer and Ingram believe that South Carolina will surprise some people, especially with the kind of energy and intensity Williams-Brice brings.
The 2025 schedule for the Gamecocks will not be easy, but with a rising star at quarterback, talent on both sides of the ball, and a homefield advantage that even the biggest college football legends are acknowledging, don't sleep on South Carolina this fall.