C
Collyn Taylor
Guest
Hello all and welcome into, well, my office. Gamecocks coming up on virtual media day today with five players plus Shane Beamer set to talk to the media via Zoom. USC didn't give a specific order in which they're going to appear but the five guys expected to meet with the media today (along with Beamer, of course) are: Jabari Ellis, Jaylan Foster, Jovaughn Gwyn, Josh Vann and Parker White.
Updates will be in this post so all you have to do is refresh it.
Shane Beamer
--Named one of the three finalists for Steve Spurrier first year coach of the year. Said all of those awards are a reflection of the staff.
--Excited to get things kicked off in 24 hours. They've been hard at work and "understand the purpose of this trip" but have had fun as well. Excited and the teams who play well in bowls are excited to be there and both teams seem to be. "How could you not be?" Gamecocks haven't played in a bowl since 2018 and they get to now against UNC and with all the fanfare around it.
--South Carolina had a lot of ticket requests.
--They're up against an "extremely talented team." Return a lot of those starters and were just a few plays away from being a nine, 10 win team this year after a few close losses. The talent "jumps off the tape." They can score a lot of points and it all starts with Sam Howell.
--Did have some positive tests come up yesterday. Said it's nothing that will prevent them from playing in a game. Said it was a "tough deal." Said none of the positive guys had zero symptoms. Said it's disappointing because one of the positives was a senior walk-on and he feels completely fine. They're working through it right now but it's "nothing that will affect our ability to play in the game." Said it's next man up.
--Dealing with COVID is just part of the deal right now. Can't turn on any pro game without seeing so many guys out or not recognizing those guys. It's "certainly challenging." Said between COVID, transfers and suspensions they're not the same group that played Clemson. They're trying to rep a lot of guys in practice. They weren't necessarily surprised guys popped positive because of where things are right now with COVID so they were preparing everybody.
--He hates seeing bowls canceled but it's "part of the landscape" in college football. His biggest fear is having to walk into the room and tell the team the game is off so they took plenty of precautions. Trying to balance that with also having fun on these bowl trips. Said some folks would want his team to be barricaded in waiting for something bad to happen but he was going to let them have fun on a bowl trip. They're still on track to play.
--Justin Stepp and Torrian Gray will be at practice today. Stepp was in the hotel to today. Doesn't want to get into it right now if any other coaches will miss the bowl game.
--Asked about Parker White, said he wouldn't want to have anyone else with him. Reiterates it's a joke White wasn't on the Groza award list.
--Asked about rosters constantly being in flux, said Spurrier told him to always be flexible. His job is to bring in talent and create competition. Mentioned when Braden Davis signed they brought in Rattler and Bailey and when Beamer called Davis was ready to go and said competition was going to make them better. That's what he wanted. The scholarship numbers are constantly changing. Said the goal is to build a culture everyone wants to be part of but understands guys leave and some want to play more.
--Haven't talked much about Mack Brown about what UNC's roster looks like. The two spent some time together Tuesday night at an event.
--Said they haven't had any discussions about not playing the bowl.
--Thankful to Zeb Noland for what he's done and the things he's put together for the program. Asked about who the third string QB would be tomorrow, doesn't offer one but says they don't want to get in that situation.
Jabari Ellis
--Said it's tough to see guys have to leave for testing positive but at the end of the day it reinforces just how vital it is to follow the rules set in place so it's not you having to leave.
--Said when he came into USC from JUCO he thought he'd only be there for two years but now he's been there for four. Can't put into words what South Carolina's meant to him.
--It's huge to see guys having fun. He's seen the lows and grateful he got one more year and was able to be part of a six-win team.
Jaylan Foster
--Really proud of the group they've put out there because they felt and heard what people were saying on the outside and wanted to change the narrative around the program. Mentions they did it with a lot of guys who didn't necessarily have a lot of reps before this year.
--Really complimentary of Clayton White and Torrian Gray. They took it slow and learned the defense piece by piece. They didn't rush it and knew it would take time. They did a lot of extra meeting.
--After the bowl he's going to take a few days off to spend time with the family before going out and starting to train for the NFL draft.
--Really pleased with how much he grew in terms of his tackling and making adjustments in coverage. Feels like he got better every time he got on the field.
--Can't wait to watch this secondary and "they're going to lock those receivers down. I can promise you that." Complimentary of Isaiah Norris. He's slowly understanding the defense and when he does that he's going to be a good player.
Josh Vann
--Josh Vann, a recent father, said it's been amazing and it's something he's dreamed of. He's honored he got to be a dad so early and he can't even explain the feelings. This is his first game he gets to go out and play as a dad.
--He's keeping all the options on the table for what next year looks like. Said he's going to get through the bowl game and then make a choice. Knows how good of a year he had.
--Said it's a dream come true to go out there and play for his kid. Said doing it in the bowl game makes it even better. There are a lot of emotions and mentions he might even cry.
--Said in terms of making a decision about the NFL it's about what's best for his daughter. He could go and start earning a paycheck or come back and potentially earn some more money by going higher.
--It's tough seeing guys go home and it "sucks" because everyone wants to play. Said it sucks but it is what it is and everyone is trying to adhere to protocols but "some things you just can't control."
--Doesn't want to get into the specific feedback he got but he's sifting through it and focusing on what's important right now, which is the bowl game. He can't get caught up in the bowl game.
Parker White
--Said it's been a wild ride and he's been on good and bad teams and had good and bad years. To win a bowl game and break the scoring record would be just even sweeter.
Jovaughn Gwyn
--Said they had a lot of rotation in the offensive line but a lot of the younger guys and how they stepped in this year.
--Really impressed with Tyshawn Wannamaker and how he's played. Calls him Scoot.
--Being from Charlotte, he's taken his teammates around a little bit and even took them home to meet his family. Last bowl game he was hurt and he didn't get to play against UNC last time. He's really excited about it.
--Talks about how in flux the offense has been with three different QBs.
That's a wrap.
Updates will be in this post so all you have to do is refresh it.
Shane Beamer
--Named one of the three finalists for Steve Spurrier first year coach of the year. Said all of those awards are a reflection of the staff.
--Excited to get things kicked off in 24 hours. They've been hard at work and "understand the purpose of this trip" but have had fun as well. Excited and the teams who play well in bowls are excited to be there and both teams seem to be. "How could you not be?" Gamecocks haven't played in a bowl since 2018 and they get to now against UNC and with all the fanfare around it.
--South Carolina had a lot of ticket requests.
--They're up against an "extremely talented team." Return a lot of those starters and were just a few plays away from being a nine, 10 win team this year after a few close losses. The talent "jumps off the tape." They can score a lot of points and it all starts with Sam Howell.
--Did have some positive tests come up yesterday. Said it's nothing that will prevent them from playing in a game. Said it was a "tough deal." Said none of the positive guys had zero symptoms. Said it's disappointing because one of the positives was a senior walk-on and he feels completely fine. They're working through it right now but it's "nothing that will affect our ability to play in the game." Said it's next man up.
--Dealing with COVID is just part of the deal right now. Can't turn on any pro game without seeing so many guys out or not recognizing those guys. It's "certainly challenging." Said between COVID, transfers and suspensions they're not the same group that played Clemson. They're trying to rep a lot of guys in practice. They weren't necessarily surprised guys popped positive because of where things are right now with COVID so they were preparing everybody.
--He hates seeing bowls canceled but it's "part of the landscape" in college football. His biggest fear is having to walk into the room and tell the team the game is off so they took plenty of precautions. Trying to balance that with also having fun on these bowl trips. Said some folks would want his team to be barricaded in waiting for something bad to happen but he was going to let them have fun on a bowl trip. They're still on track to play.
--Justin Stepp and Torrian Gray will be at practice today. Stepp was in the hotel to today. Doesn't want to get into it right now if any other coaches will miss the bowl game.
--Asked about Parker White, said he wouldn't want to have anyone else with him. Reiterates it's a joke White wasn't on the Groza award list.
--Asked about rosters constantly being in flux, said Spurrier told him to always be flexible. His job is to bring in talent and create competition. Mentioned when Braden Davis signed they brought in Rattler and Bailey and when Beamer called Davis was ready to go and said competition was going to make them better. That's what he wanted. The scholarship numbers are constantly changing. Said the goal is to build a culture everyone wants to be part of but understands guys leave and some want to play more.
--Haven't talked much about Mack Brown about what UNC's roster looks like. The two spent some time together Tuesday night at an event.
--Said they haven't had any discussions about not playing the bowl.
--Thankful to Zeb Noland for what he's done and the things he's put together for the program. Asked about who the third string QB would be tomorrow, doesn't offer one but says they don't want to get in that situation.
Jabari Ellis
--Said it's tough to see guys have to leave for testing positive but at the end of the day it reinforces just how vital it is to follow the rules set in place so it's not you having to leave.
--Said when he came into USC from JUCO he thought he'd only be there for two years but now he's been there for four. Can't put into words what South Carolina's meant to him.
--It's huge to see guys having fun. He's seen the lows and grateful he got one more year and was able to be part of a six-win team.
Jaylan Foster
--Really proud of the group they've put out there because they felt and heard what people were saying on the outside and wanted to change the narrative around the program. Mentions they did it with a lot of guys who didn't necessarily have a lot of reps before this year.
--Really complimentary of Clayton White and Torrian Gray. They took it slow and learned the defense piece by piece. They didn't rush it and knew it would take time. They did a lot of extra meeting.
--After the bowl he's going to take a few days off to spend time with the family before going out and starting to train for the NFL draft.
--Really pleased with how much he grew in terms of his tackling and making adjustments in coverage. Feels like he got better every time he got on the field.
--Can't wait to watch this secondary and "they're going to lock those receivers down. I can promise you that." Complimentary of Isaiah Norris. He's slowly understanding the defense and when he does that he's going to be a good player.
Josh Vann
--Josh Vann, a recent father, said it's been amazing and it's something he's dreamed of. He's honored he got to be a dad so early and he can't even explain the feelings. This is his first game he gets to go out and play as a dad.
--He's keeping all the options on the table for what next year looks like. Said he's going to get through the bowl game and then make a choice. Knows how good of a year he had.
--Said it's a dream come true to go out there and play for his kid. Said doing it in the bowl game makes it even better. There are a lot of emotions and mentions he might even cry.
--Said in terms of making a decision about the NFL it's about what's best for his daughter. He could go and start earning a paycheck or come back and potentially earn some more money by going higher.
--It's tough seeing guys go home and it "sucks" because everyone wants to play. Said it sucks but it is what it is and everyone is trying to adhere to protocols but "some things you just can't control."
--Doesn't want to get into the specific feedback he got but he's sifting through it and focusing on what's important right now, which is the bowl game. He can't get caught up in the bowl game.
Parker White
--Said it's been a wild ride and he's been on good and bad teams and had good and bad years. To win a bowl game and break the scoring record would be just even sweeter.
Jovaughn Gwyn
--Said they had a lot of rotation in the offensive line but a lot of the younger guys and how they stepped in this year.
--Really impressed with Tyshawn Wannamaker and how he's played. Calls him Scoot.
--Being from Charlotte, he's taken his teammates around a little bit and even took them home to meet his family. Last bowl game he was hurt and he didn't get to play against UNC last time. He's really excited about it.
--Talks about how in flux the offense has been with three different QBs.
That's a wrap.
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