Lonnie Teasley talks expectations for Markee Anderson's return from injury on offensive line
South Carolina’s offensive line has a lot to prove in 2024. Injuries and not having a consistent starting five led to the Gamecocks giving up 41 sacks last year. But there’s reason to believe the group will be better.
For starters, the unit should have much more depth all around. A pair of freshmen starters from 2023 will return in Tree Babalade and Trovon Baugh. Jakai Moore, Vershon Lee and Cason Henry are all back as well. Plus, the Gamecocks will have three talented freshman from this year’s recruiting class — Josiah Thompson, Kam Pringle and Blake Franks — coming in. And that’s all without mentioning three more offensive linemen brought in from the transfer portal with Kamar Bell, Aaryn Parks and Torricelli Simpkins III.
So South Carolina should be in good shape up front, assuming everyone can stay healthy this season. But there’s another name on the line that hasn’t been mentioned yet. That would be Markee Anderson.
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Anderson, a redshirt freshman interior offensive lineman, missed all of last season after undergoing knee surgery. Almost a year removed from the injury, he will be ready to go for fall camp and compete for a spot on the o-line.
“He’s been good,” offensive line coach Lonnie Teasley told GamecockCentral. “One thing he did is he attacked the weight room. Even when he had the surgery, he was still able to do upper body, so he attacked that and got ridiculously strong. And then when he started his rehab on the lower body, he’s been able to push that and come back.
“He’s just been diligent and making sure he’s doing everything he can to get healthy to be on the field. I’ve been pleased with him. He feels good. Ready for him to roll.”
If you’re not super familiar with Anderson, he was a four-star prospect coming out of Dorman (S.C.) High School. His size is also something that stands out, quite literally. He checks in at 6-foot-4, 327 pounds.
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However, the one thing he’s missing is true experience. That’s not to say he can’t make an impact right away. But Teasley noted that will be something he has to catch up on as fall camp begins on Friday.
“He’s going to be a redshirt freshman. And he hasn’t taken a live rep in a game. So he’s missed a lot of reps. He needs reps,” Teasley said. “There’s going to be some time. But the thing with him, he’s really smart. He’ll come in and get extra work, he’ll get extra film to catch up. But he needs the reps. So it’s going to take some time, but he’s a smart kid and he picks up on things fast.”
Even though Anderson has his work cut out, Teasley expects a lot out of him this year. Now that he’s returning to the field, Teasley believes he will be a “big-time contributor” on the offensive line.
“He brings it, he has an edge to him that we need. He plays with an edge that you need on the o-line,” he said. “We need him to be a big time contributor.”
