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ESPN's Ryan McGee on expectations for LaNorris Sellers, South Carolina

wesby:Wes Mitchell•08/15/24•

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south carolina gamecocks quarterback LaNorris Sellers
Photo: Katie Dugan/GamecockCentral

ESPN and SEC Network’s Ryan McGee has seen a lot of football in his day including a lot of South Carolina football over the years.

McGee, an ESPN senior writer and co-host of the Marty and McGee show, joined the Garnet Trust Hour on 107.5 The Game this week to give some additional perspective on what the outside college football world thinks about the Gamecocks.

Chief among the topics — redshirt freshman quarterback LaNorris Sellers.

“Well, the greatest compliment I can give someone that’s in his position is when coaches talk about him, when I talk to people who saw him in high school and who’ve seen the way that he carries himself, they talk about someone who’s not going to be rattled by any of this,” McGee said. “And not in like a super arrogant, cocky, you know, ‘Y’all should watch me play’ kind of way. It’s just a quiet way of taking care of business, how you do your work. … That’s what I hear about Sellers and I think that’s why he’s going to be good for this job.”

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As most Gamecock fans know by now, Sellers played as a backup and change-of-pace quarterback behind Spencer Rattler last season as a true freshman.

The Florence, S.C. native completed all four of his passes for 86 yards and two touchdowns while rushing for 51 yards and a touchdown on five carries.

While South Carolina head coach Shane Beamer has not yet named a Game 1 starter at the position, Sellers exited spring as the starting quarterback and is the heavy favorite to win the job.

“I’m really, really curious to see and anxious to see, but we’re living in an era, guys, where it’s nothing for these young quarterbacks,” McGee continued. “I mean, I grew up at a time where it was kind of like the NFL used to be—you had to bide your time, you had to wait, you got to football when you were a junior and a senior, and then you took over. And in the case of Sellers, in the case of college football now, you’re in the door as a teenager, and you’re running the offense of a premier program.”

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McGee, who maintains a strong relationship with Beamer, also believes the Gamecocks may be at their best as a program when most outsiders are counting them out.

Unlike last year, when South Carolina entered as a darling sleeper pick in the league due to the finish to the 2022 season, few at the national level are talking about the Gamecocks as a team that will do much this year.

“Seabiscuit ran a lot faster when he was mad and when he had someone to chase,” McGee said. “When he was out front by himself, he wasn’t that fast. And Shane Beamer, to me, and this program, South Carolina, just the history of it—they do their best work when they feel like people are shortchanging them and when they have something to chase.

“So now, with something to prove, I feel like this is where Shane Beamer does his best work. And quite honestly, in the hundred and whatever years it is of Gamecock football, I feel like it’s when they’ve done their best work—when they got something to prove.”

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