The Spencer Rattler era for the South Carolina Gamecocks has officially ended, and the Gamecocks are searching for their next star starting quarterback. South Carolina spring practice is in full swing and there will be plenty of competition within the quarterback room to determine who will lead this team’s offense during the 2024 season. The quarterback competition will be between redshirt freshman LaNorris Sellers, a beastly quarterback with a rocket arm who can also outrun defenders on the ground coming from a soccer background, or former Auburn quarterback Robby Ashford.
Will South Carolina Gamecocks LaNorris Sellers Live Up To All Of The Hype
LaNorris Sellers brings a completely different element to the game than former Gamecocks quarterback Spencer Rattler, who was a lesser-build pocket passer. Sellers became the likely contender to earn South Carolina’s starting quarterback role due to his prior experience for the Gamecocks that’s led to a lot of hype being built around Sellers by South Carolina fans. We’ve only seen four passes in college and a long touchdown run, but he’s shown flashes of potential while serving as a backup to Rattler last year, which is a good sign.
Sellers made three appearances last year one against Furman, one against Vanderbilt, and one against Kentucky all as a true freshman. In his debut game against Furman, Sellers completed all four of his pass attempts for 86 yards and two touchdowns. His first touchdown was a 50-yard pass to freshman wide receiver Tyshawn Russell, which impressed fans at Williams-Brice Stadium as Sellers showcased his athleticism and arm strength. Later on in the season he even displayed his speed and versatility on the field against Vanderbilt, where he recorded his first rushing touchdown, the long 36-yard run that truly showed his potential to South Carolina Gamecocks fans everywhere.
The Starting Job Is Not Guaranteed Especially With This Transfer From Auburn
If Sellers starts to struggle, the Gamecocks brought in former Auburn quarterback Robby Ashford. Ashford is a familiar face in the SEC and struggled heavily throwing the football during his time with the Tigers, though he does possess some scrambling and rushing ability. In 2023, Ashford appeared in ten games for the Auburn Tigers completing 14-27 passes for 145 yards with two touchdowns, and two interceptions. He also rushed 46 times for 217 yards and five touchdowns and actually caught one pass for two yards.
This fifth-year player has appeared in 22 career games and spent two seasons at Oregon before spending his last two seasons at Auburn completed 137-277 passes for 1,758 yards with a total of nine touchdowns and nine interceptions. He also ran the ball 199 times for 927 yards with a dozen touchdowns in his college career and still has two more years of eligibility remaining. Rounding out the quarterback room is Davis Beville, a seldom-used graduate transfer who played two seasons at both Pittsburgh and Oklahoma.
The Future Of This South Carolina Team Under Coach Shane Beamer
With a couple of quarterbacks with relatively little experience at his disposal, coach Shane Beamer has made it clear the starting job is up in the air and the quarterback room needs some competition, something this South Carolina team holds as one of their core values. Many talented quarterbacks in the portal were interested in joining the Gamecocks after seeing how much Rattler grew and improved in his time. But once coach Beamer told them he couldn’t guarantee them a starting job, they were no longer interested.
Coach Beamer believes these two quarterbacks not only increase the depth and competition within the quarterback room but will ultimately make the team better overall through their leadership and talent. At the end of the day, the team’s starting quarterback will be the one Shane Beamer believes to be the best fit for the program and the offense.
Make sure to follow me on X(Twitter) @Crain_Sports1 and click here to read more of my articles, to keep up with what’s going on in the SEC and college football. The 2024 college football season creeps up on us and will be here before you know it.
