JD PicKell: 2023 is a 'we're here' kind of year for South Carolina

South Carolina football has impressed the first two years of Shane Beamer’s tenure, and On3’s JD PicKell believes the pressure is ramping up for 2023. The Gamecocks finished the 2022 season with a record of 8-5 — their best since 2017 — and return plenty of the talent that helped them achieve that success.

That includes quarterback Spencer Rattler and his top receiver Antwane “Juice” Wells, who recorded 68 catches for 928 yards and six touchdowns. They also signed Nyckoles Harbor, the first five-star recruit brought in during the Beamer era.

In a recent episode of The Hard Count on YouTube, PicKell explained what all that means for South Carolina in 2023.

“Spencer Rattler said, ‘I’m not finished. I want to come back one more year,'” PicKell said. “Juice Wells, his favorite target, also running it back. Also, you landed Nyckoles Harbor, a five-star athlete. A special player. Could play him at EDGE. Could play him at tight end. It sounds like he’s gonna play receiver early for the Gamecocks. There’s a lot of juice right now in South Carolina. Now, what you do with it, that’s on you. You have earned the right to have some more eyeballs on you. You’ve earned the right to have some more pressure on you. Now what do you do with that?”

The 2022 season saw the Gamecocks achieve their first AP top 25 ranking in four seasons. They finished the regular season strong with a pair of victories against top 10 teams in Tennessee and Clemson, effectively ending the College Football Playoff hopes of both.

But for most of Beamer’s first two years, South Carolina was considered an underdog. Now with the recent success, PicKell believes the Gamecocks have a lot more to prove heading into next season.

“I think a lot of 2023 will be a ‘We’re here’ kind of year,” he said. “The first two years were a good story, but 2023 is a ‘We’re here’ kind of year. Beamer ball, everyone may have had hesitations or guarded expectations. They’ve now overachieved for two years in a row. Vegas was giving ’em six games to begin the year. That was the projection. For the second year in a row, overachieved. Won eight games this past season. At South Carolina, there is a lot of juice.”

South Carolina has not had a 10-win season since 2013, but 10 years later looks to have its best shot at doing so. It helps that the Gamecocks have a favorable SEC schedule also, as they will avoid playing Alabama, LSU and Ole Miss.

South Carolina is set to kick off the year on Sept. 2 with a matchup against North Carolina in Charlotte.