W
Wes Mitchell
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** South Carolina's quarterback situation for the season opener against Eastern Illinois has gone from pretty much set in stone that Luke Doty would start to probably the most interesting storyline of the preseason if the injured Doty is unable to play in just over two weeks.
South Carolina offensive coordinator Marcus Satterfield spoke on Thursday afternoon and said that there is no current favorite to start in the season opener, should Doty not be able to go, and that Jason Brown, Zeb Noland, Colten Gauthier and Connor Jordan are all still in the mix for that position.
The addition of Noland to the Gamecocks' QB room has gone from a cool footnote about a guy suiting up one more time to provide some depth in the room to a situation where I believe Noland legitimately has a chance to see the field this season.
Satterfield was asked if Noland is in the running for the position and he didn't rule it out saying: “It’s potentially there. It’s in the air."
To take it a step further, I hear that Noland already has a great understanding of this offensive scheme, commands the huddle with maturity and moxie, and throws a really nice ball. Right now, he simply has the FBS experience that other guys in the room lack and I hear it's been pretty obvious the experience and confidence he has with the way he carries himself on the field and in the huddle.
That's not to overshadow the progress that Jason Brown has made. He's legitimately improved from the spring, has slimmed down, and has a knack for making plays.
I take Satterfield at his word when he says that they don't yet know who will start. But I also take him at his word when he says that they're not looking for a QB to go win the Heisman, rather someone to communicate well and get the team in and out of the huddle, execute the plays and not turn the ball over. Those are cliches, but with what I believe the strengths of this offense will be this year (running backs, O-line, TEs), it certainly makes sense, especially with the way the schedule starts out. Combine that with what he said about Noland and what we're hearing there and I believe the possibility of him playing is a real thing.
I expect this Saturday's scrimmage to be huge in the ultimate decision for Week 1 and whichever quarterback can most consistently do those things Satterfield is talking about will likely get the nod if Doty can't go.
** As South Carolina entered preseason camp, we (and everyone else) identified the running back group as being one of the strengths of the team, but that position is, I dare say, possibly in better shape than we thought at the time, especially from a depth standpoint.
Certainly, the Gamecocks are ready to get Kevin Harris back after what he did last season, but I continue to hear that ZaQuandre White has had an outstanding camp and continues to make plays. He's taken reps with the ones when we've been out there and I believe has a legitimate chance to take the first snap for Carolina this season, though I imagine that is yet to be decided. I simply say that to emphasize just how good of a camp it sounds like White has had and it's cool to see all the hard work pay off for him.
This is one of those situations where one player being out hurt has opened up reps for the rest of the unit and they've taken advantage. MarShawn Lloyd continues to come back strong and can also make plays as a pass-catcher out of the backfield.
Broken record alert: Juju McDowell is a player. If he was at any other position I think we'd be talking about him as someone who could be pushing into a ton of playing time, but the RB room is obviously already in a good spot.
The fact that McDowell is making noise, even with the depth at that position, speaks volumes about his ability in my opinion and I liked what Satterfield had to say about him: "His football intelligence is off the charts. I mean, I can go tell him what without him even seeing I could tell him to go start here, motion over there, then we're gonna send you a motion here that execute this route. And he's able to just do it." That bodes well for the staff to find some ways to get him in the mix if he keeps performing well.
** As I said in the last of these team updates, Jalen Brooks, Dakereon Joyner and Josh Vann appear to be the top three at receiver and I think that remains the case a week later. Brooks and Joyner both were praised for what they did in the spring and Vann has taken his play to another level in the fall. I think it's a testament to and an example of the culture that Beamer and this staff are trying to build. Vann has really bought into this staff's approach and Justin Stepp has connected well with him. Vann has always had talent but he's been putting in the day-in, day-out consistency that's needed now. I don't want to create unrealistic expecations, but I do think he's positioned himself to have a really solid year.
Past those three, I hear the most about OrTre Smith and Xavier Legette and I get the impression they've been coming on as of late as the buzz is that they've been making plays in recent practices. I am curious to see if Ahmarean Brown can make a push as well. He missed the first part of camp due to COVID protocols but is back in the mix and full go now.
In an interesting note that's somehow flown a bit under the radar, Eric Shaw has actually been working at wide receiver for some time now and is wearing No. 82.
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