Shane Beamer addresses his philosophy towards playing multiple quarterbacks

South Carolina is in the midst of a quarterback battle, with Shane Beamer not yet determining his guy for the 2024 season. Robby Ashford and LaNorris Sellers are thought to be the two front runners but Davis Beville transferred into the program as well.

Even when Beamer announces the starter for the Aug. 31 opener against Old Dominion, he has not ruled out using multiple guys. He looked back to last season when Sellers was used with special packages, being able to use his feet. But all three guys in the running this year do share a certain trait.

“Strong to quite strong would be the philosophy there,” Beamer said Monday at SEC Media Days. “We’ve got a lot of athleticism at the position for sure. We played LaNorris Sellers a little bit last year along with Spencer [Rattler]. We did that in the Kentucky game, had a little package for LaNorris. It just so happens this year that we’ve got multiple quarterbacks and they all bring an athleticism element that maybe Spencer didn’t have — it wasn’t a part of his game.”

Ashford was known for his rushing ability while at Auburn, mainly during the 2022 season. He has seven games of at least 50 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns on the ground in his career. Of the three competing, nobody is more experienced than Ashford.

Sellers showcased his ability during the South Carolina spring game. Not only did he complete nine passes for 70 yards but a big-time 38-yard run was added. Not something you see too often from quarterbacks in a scrimmage, considering they are mostly non-contact.

Beville has just 29 rushing attempts to his name and is actually in the negatives for his career yardage. The athleticism is there, no doubt, and if South Carolina wanted to run a package for the Oklahoma transfer, there would seemingly be confidence.

At the end of the day, Beamer is trying to win football games. Getting the job is all that matters to him, no matter who is at quarterback. Ashford, Beville, Sellers, or all three could feature on a week-to-week basis — as long as South Carolina comes out victorious.

“I think every Saturday, you do what gives your team the best chance to be successful. We’re very fortunate that we have some quarterbacks that have athleticism and bring a running element along with the throwing element of their game.”