After betting on himself, South Carolina walk-on QB Davis Beville earns scholarship
Admittedly, Davis Beville could’ve returned to Oklahoma for another season. He would’ve been on scholarship and have a chance to compete for the Sooners’ starting quarterback job.
But being more of a homebody above all else, Beville turned all that down to head to his home state of South Carolina. With one year of eligibility remaining, he took a chance on himself and walked on at South Carolina.
“This is home for me. This is close as I get to being back in Greenville, said Beville, who played football at Greenville High School. “That was kind of the biggest thing in the process. I could have gone back to Oklahoma. I had another year there, but I wanted to come home, be in front of my family, my friends.”
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Heading into the season, Beville will more likely than not be the third-string quarterback on the Gamecocks’ depth chart. LaNorris Sellers was officially named the starter on Tuesday, and Robby Ashford will presumably be his backup.
But while he may not play much, he has certainly earned his place on the team. Beville revealed head coach Shane Beamer had recently put him on scholarship.
“I trusted myself and ended up in the spot I am in now,” he said. “That’s a big blessing from Coach Beamer, and I really thank him for that.”
From the time Beville arrived on campus in January, Beamer said there was always a chance he could eventually earn a scholarship. It wasn’t a guarantee, but if things worked out, it was a potential option down the road.
“We kind of talked about, let’s just see how things go, and he’s done a good job,” Beamer said. “He left a scholarship in Norman to come here as a walk-on. And we said, ‘Let’s see how spring practice and the summer goes.’ He’s done what he’s supposed to do.”
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Beville now becomes the fourth scholarship quarterback on South Carolina’s roster this season, joining Sellers, Ashford and Dante Reno. The Gamecocks also have Jimmy Francis, a freshman walk-on who joined the team in the summer.
This marks Beville’s third stop in his college career. He started out at Pittsburgh, where he played for two seasons and saw action in nine total games. He then transferred to Oklahoma in 2022 and spent the last two years in Norman.
For his career, the 6-foot-6, 232-pounder is 37-for-62 passing (59.7 percent) with 339 yards and one touchdown to two interceptions.