W
Wes Mitchell
Guest
South Carolina kicked off the Shane Beamer era with spring practice No. 1 on a brisk but beautiful day in Columbia and Gamecock Central was on hand in person for the first 20 or so minutes of the workout for the first time in over a year. It was great to be back out there around the game and felt somewhat almost normal despite the reminder from the line of people getting their COVID vaccinations in the same parking lot at Gamecock Park (shoutout to all those workers for the well-oiled machine they had rolling!).
On the field, we did get a brief glimpse at the first group of players to take reps against air, although it's important to remember that there were several players missing from the outdoor practice fields that were either inside doing conditioning (usually for the guys who are banged up but not too injured) or possibly contract traced and we don't get a full injury list or anything like that. So the "depth chart" is a nice talking piece but at this point, is little more than that.
As expected, Luke Doty took the first-team reps at quarterback (quarterbacks have traded in the gold jerseys for green ones, interestingly enough) with ZaQuandre White alongside him as first-team running back (Harris wasn't around and likely was in that group inside that I mentioned above).
Offensive line, left to right, was Jaz Turnetine, Jaylen Nichols, Eric Douglas, Jovaughn Gwyn and Dylan Wonnum.
I'd say no surprise on four of the five guys there, but it's intriguing that Nichols is working at left guard. I've always thought he looked like a guy who could play guard as opposed to tackle. You'll remember that Nichols was someone who really impressed the staff as a true freshman and then got behind some early last year (I won't speculate why, because as we know there could be several reasons outside of his control) but reportedly was coming on strong at the end of the season. In the area of reading way too much into something early on, I'd say it's a good sign for him and the o-line that Greg Adkins rolled him out there first today and that position could end up being a great fit for him with his body type and athleticism. Early returns on Adkins from the people I talk with are very positive as well and he's described as an old school, extremely knowledgeable teacher of the position.
First team wide receivers were Chad Terrell - you may recall that Chris Clark recently mentioned that Terrell has had his best offseason from a strength and conditioning standpoint and he's one of the guys who posted a PR in speed - Dakereon Joyner and Jalen Brooks. First tight end up was Nick Muse.
I didn't get a complete look at the second team, but from what I could tell it looked like, left to right on the OL was: Vershon Lee, Tyshawn Wannamaker, Hank Manos, Jordan Rhodes, and Wyatt Campbell. For what it's worth, Jakai Moore appeared to be in some type of walking boot.
Jaheim Bell and EJ Jenkins were both spotted out there with the second group at tight end.
Jenkins is, of course, one of the guys everyone has wanted to get a look at in person. Him lining up at TE is no surprise as we've noted for some time that he's someone with a skillset where he could line up all over. Maybe it was the No. 13 that put my brain in this direction, but physically I couldn't help but think of former FSU and Carolina Panthers WR Kelvin Benjamin when I first saw Jenkins with his huge frame and dreads coming out of the helmet. Benjamin spent his career at receiver instead of tight end but was one of the bigger receivers you'll ever see, listed at 6-foot-5, 245 pounds.
It's worth noting that OrTre Smith was practicing with no signs of limitations and no brace or even a sleeve on his knee. We'll see what that translates into but it's a positive early sign.
Colten Gauthier was lined up with the second team at quarterback and Connor Jordan with the third group. While there was no sign on the field of transfer QB Jason Brown, I'm told that he's fine and doesn't have any type of major injury or anything like that. I'd expect him to be back out there soon.
The most interesting note from the defensive side of the ball was the fact that Tonka Hemingway was working with the interior linemen. Hemingway worked with the defensive ends last year and is listed as an EDGE on the roster but was always seen as someone who could ultimately grow into a defensive tackle and is now listed at 270 pounds. With the depth that South Carolina has on the edge, it makes sense to see what Hemingway can do on the interior and try to get the best players on the field at one time. There's a nice mix of players, young and veterans in this group. Jabari Ellis and Zacch Pickens both appear to have had great offseasons in the weight room.
One final house keeping note for when you see the photos from Katie Dugan, offensive players are now in white, defensive players in garnet (which is a reverse from before) with quarterbacks wearing green and a few players (Dom Hill for example) wearing blue. I am assuming the blue jerseys are for guys that are practicing but not quite full go.
That's about all I have on the brain for now, but we'll have plenty throughout the spring and thoughts coming up from both Collyn and Chris today as well! Thanks for being a subscriber!
On the field, we did get a brief glimpse at the first group of players to take reps against air, although it's important to remember that there were several players missing from the outdoor practice fields that were either inside doing conditioning (usually for the guys who are banged up but not too injured) or possibly contract traced and we don't get a full injury list or anything like that. So the "depth chart" is a nice talking piece but at this point, is little more than that.
As expected, Luke Doty took the first-team reps at quarterback (quarterbacks have traded in the gold jerseys for green ones, interestingly enough) with ZaQuandre White alongside him as first-team running back (Harris wasn't around and likely was in that group inside that I mentioned above).
Offensive line, left to right, was Jaz Turnetine, Jaylen Nichols, Eric Douglas, Jovaughn Gwyn and Dylan Wonnum.
I'd say no surprise on four of the five guys there, but it's intriguing that Nichols is working at left guard. I've always thought he looked like a guy who could play guard as opposed to tackle. You'll remember that Nichols was someone who really impressed the staff as a true freshman and then got behind some early last year (I won't speculate why, because as we know there could be several reasons outside of his control) but reportedly was coming on strong at the end of the season. In the area of reading way too much into something early on, I'd say it's a good sign for him and the o-line that Greg Adkins rolled him out there first today and that position could end up being a great fit for him with his body type and athleticism. Early returns on Adkins from the people I talk with are very positive as well and he's described as an old school, extremely knowledgeable teacher of the position.
First team wide receivers were Chad Terrell - you may recall that Chris Clark recently mentioned that Terrell has had his best offseason from a strength and conditioning standpoint and he's one of the guys who posted a PR in speed - Dakereon Joyner and Jalen Brooks. First tight end up was Nick Muse.
I didn't get a complete look at the second team, but from what I could tell it looked like, left to right on the OL was: Vershon Lee, Tyshawn Wannamaker, Hank Manos, Jordan Rhodes, and Wyatt Campbell. For what it's worth, Jakai Moore appeared to be in some type of walking boot.
Jaheim Bell and EJ Jenkins were both spotted out there with the second group at tight end.
Jenkins is, of course, one of the guys everyone has wanted to get a look at in person. Him lining up at TE is no surprise as we've noted for some time that he's someone with a skillset where he could line up all over. Maybe it was the No. 13 that put my brain in this direction, but physically I couldn't help but think of former FSU and Carolina Panthers WR Kelvin Benjamin when I first saw Jenkins with his huge frame and dreads coming out of the helmet. Benjamin spent his career at receiver instead of tight end but was one of the bigger receivers you'll ever see, listed at 6-foot-5, 245 pounds.
It's worth noting that OrTre Smith was practicing with no signs of limitations and no brace or even a sleeve on his knee. We'll see what that translates into but it's a positive early sign.
Colten Gauthier was lined up with the second team at quarterback and Connor Jordan with the third group. While there was no sign on the field of transfer QB Jason Brown, I'm told that he's fine and doesn't have any type of major injury or anything like that. I'd expect him to be back out there soon.
The most interesting note from the defensive side of the ball was the fact that Tonka Hemingway was working with the interior linemen. Hemingway worked with the defensive ends last year and is listed as an EDGE on the roster but was always seen as someone who could ultimately grow into a defensive tackle and is now listed at 270 pounds. With the depth that South Carolina has on the edge, it makes sense to see what Hemingway can do on the interior and try to get the best players on the field at one time. There's a nice mix of players, young and veterans in this group. Jabari Ellis and Zacch Pickens both appear to have had great offseasons in the weight room.
One final house keeping note for when you see the photos from Katie Dugan, offensive players are now in white, defensive players in garnet (which is a reverse from before) with quarterbacks wearing green and a few players (Dom Hill for example) wearing blue. I am assuming the blue jerseys are for guys that are practicing but not quite full go.
That's about all I have on the brain for now, but we'll have plenty throughout the spring and thoughts coming up from both Collyn and Chris today as well! Thanks for being a subscriber!
