Shane Beamer explains how Antwane Wells has progressed following strong 2022 season

Antwane ‘Juice’ Wells is expected to blossom this season Shane Beamer’s offense. After his breakout season last year and a strong spring this offseason, the South Carolina head coach revealed that Wells’ biggest improvement has actually came off the field.

“He really worked hard as a leader in that receiver room. There are a lot of older guys there like Xavier Legette, Ahmarean Brown, Dakereon [Joyner], when he’s in that room,” Beamer said. “So, one thing is just becoming a better teammate, a great leader. He did that and there’s still so much more he can improve on as well — route running, some of the new things we’re doing offensively and trying to get a handle on that.

“I feel like he had a very good spring and this summer will be critical for him. He’s ready to get back [to campus] at the end of the month and get going.”

Wells arrived in Columbia last season as an FCS transfer from James Madison last season where he caught 68 passes for 928 yards and 5 touchdowns. He’s expected to have an even greater role in 2023 and become one of the most productive receivers in the SEC this season.

He had the option to leave South Carolina early and enter his name into the 2023 NFL Draft pool. Instead, Wells, alongside QB1 Spencer Rattler, will return for school for their senior seasons. Their ultimate decision to return for another season of Beamer ball wasn’t one they made by themselves. It was discussed between the two, and neither regret their decisions. 

“It’s definetely great to have a guy like him come back and you come back and vice versa. I don’t think our decision was based on each other,” Rattler said. “Maybe him more than me because I’m a quarterback and he wants to know he has a quarterback. But we definetely talked about it, we came to the right decision — it wasn’t a joint decision — but we were definetely on the same page.”

After transferring from Oklahoma, Rattler went on to start all 13 games for South Carolina last season. His first season in Columbia saw him complete over 66 percent of his passes and threw for 3,012 yards. He tossed 18 touchdowns with 12 interceptions. 

With Rattler and Wells leading the charge, the Gamecocks have the potential to be one of the most dynamic offenses in the SEC next season. Though, it remains to be seen whether they can live up to the expectations or not.