Beamer speaks to Vershon Lee's importance as South Carolina's top performer of fall camp
Shane Beamer could’ve picked any player. From the first day of fall camp until now, he’s seen a lot of growth in his South Carolina team.
But when asked by Todd Ellis who his top performer from fall camp was, Beamer went with Vershon Lee. He could’ve said any of the more popular names on the roster. Instead, he landed on a veteran offensive lineman.
From Beamer’s perspective, the biggest thing that stood out about Lee this year has been consistency.
“You talk about a guy last year that played center, guard, tackle — he had to do it all last season because of the injuries that we had on the offensive line,” Beamer said. “He has just been the glue of that offensive line ever since really last season. But now from January on, he hasn’t missed a day of practice or anything. He’s just been Mr. Steady, Mr. Consistent.”
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Heading into this season, Lee will be starting at center when South Carolina faces Old Dominion on Saturday. Amongst all his fellow offensive linemen playing this weekend, the fifth-year senior brings the most experience to the table.
Since Jakai Moore is out with an injury, Lee has made the most starts (27) of the returnees at South Carolina. He’s started seven or more games in each of the last three seasons. He’ll be going into his fourth year as a starter up front.
In a year where the Gamecocks dealt with many injuries on the line, Lee was a regular out there last year. He started in all 10 games he played in and finished with a 68.9 PFF grade, the highest of the group.
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Now in his final year, Lee will try and help the O-line get right after a down year in 2023. According to the team’s depth chart, Lee will start at center, while Kamaar Bell and Cason Henry are the other two surefire starters of the five. Beamer will still have to decide who starts at left tackle and right guard ahead of the season opener. But he has his guy in Lee to help out a first-time starter at quarterback in LaNorris Sellers.
“He’s just a guy that I think appreciates every day that he gets to be a part of this program,” Beamer said of Lee. “His spirit and passion that he practices with shows every day. He’s a heck of a player, but he’s doing a really good job leading the offensive line and really being one of the leaders on this football team has been since January.”
