Shane Beamer discusses South Carolina graduate assistant-turned-starting quarterback

South Carolina head coach Shane Beamer had a lot to address on Tuesday after news broke that Zeb Noland, a graduate assistant that transferred from North Dakota State to help coach the Gamecocks, has been named the Gamecocks’ Week 1 starting quarterback.

With presumed starter Luke Doty still working his way back from injury, South Carolina gave Zoland the nod, while Doty is not listed on South Carolina’s depth chart. Jason Brown is currently listed as the backup quarterback.

“In all seriousness, we named Zeb Noland our starting quarterback this week,” Beamer said Tuesday. “Obviously, he has Power Five experience. It wasn’t that long ago. He played in [an FCS] playoff game a few months ago/ He is very efficient getting us in and out of the huddle, commanding the offense, controlling what’s going on out there. He has a great understanding of what we’re doing offensively because he spent the entire summer — I know he told you guys — drawing up the playbook and coaching.”

Noland played three seasons at Iowa State before transferring to North Dakota State last season. There, he was expected to back up third-overall pick Trey Lance. COVID-19, however, postponed the FCS season to the spring, prompting Lance to leave in order to prepare for the NFL Draft. Noland stepped up to the starting job and threw for 721 yards with five touchdowns and six interceptions in the spring.

“We’ve got a lot of confidence in Zeb being able to go out there and operate at a high level on Saturday night,” Beamer continued. “We’re not asking him to go out there and win the football game, we’ll never ask our quarterbacks to do that. We’re going to ask him to get us in and out of the huddle cleanly and efficiently, without pre-snap penalties.”

Due to Covid-19 rules, Noland still has one season of eligibility remaining. With South Carolina dealing with Doty’s injury just days remaining until the regular season, they turn to a quarterback with experience in Noland. The Gamecocks will utilize his final season of eligibility, and Noland now has a big role right away.

“We have a ton of confidence in all of our quarterbacks, no matter who’s out there: Colton, Connor, Jason or Luke, if he were able to really come along in the next few days and be 100 percent. Having said that, I told Luke this morning, I’m telling you guys now: I’m never going to put a player out there when he’s not ready to play.”

Noland thrilled for the opportunity

When South Carolina added Noland to the active roster, it was a surprise, but Noland was ready for the opportunity. When Beamer told him they had a spot for him on the roster roster, Noland was ready to get to work.

“It was Sunday, and it was, ‘Let’s get the ball rolling,’” Noland said on what Beamer told him. “‘Go out there and do the best you can.’ I didn’t work out with the team all summer. I did my own little workout. An old man workout, just lifting some weights. I came back and just did the best I can.”