Matthew Fuller showing flashes of potential early in South Carolina's preseason camp: 'He is a dog with all of the tools'
Rocket Sanders‘ calculated recovery from offseason shoulder surgery has proven to be a double-edged sword for the South Carolina running back room.
On the plus side, it has given other running backs an opportunity to prove themselves in Sanders’ absence. But it has also made putting together the depth chart, as well the team’s roster for road games, more difficult.
“You look at all those guys. And I was talking to them today, ‘Well, we’re going on the road next week, and that on that travel roster’s going to be 60 people. Everybody can’t get on the bus,'” running backs coach Marquel Blackwell said at South Carolina’s media day on Aug. 1. “So, how are you going to get on the bus? You better get on special teams.”
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Matthew Fuller isn’t making that job any easier for Shane Beamer’s staff. Through the first two weeks of preseason camp, he has impressed both coaches and players alike in his pursuit of playing time during his first college football campaign.
Fuller was the lone running back in the Gamecocks’ most recent recruiting class. The Jesup, Ga., native was listed as the No. 283 player nationally and the No. 20 running back in the class of 2024, according to the On3 Industry Ranking.
Originally a three-star, Fuller was eventually elevated to a four-star prospect as the offseason went along. Charles Power, On3 Director of Scouting and Rankings, said it was due in part to his strong senior season.
Fuller averaged around 8.1 yards per carry on 256 attempts that season. He totaled 2,086 yards and scored 27 touchdowns on those carries, numbers that both increased from his junior year.
Oscar Adaway III has already seen the aspects of Fuller’s game that contributed to that increase in rankings. Adaway III said Fuller’s versatility has been the most apparent of those attributes.
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“He’s a dog with all of the tools inside of the toolbox, from a pocketknife all the way to a wrench,” Adaway III said. “This guy’s going to be great. He’s just a young kid, but he’s going to be one of those ones, for sure, later on in life.”
Fuller’s efforts on the practice field resulted in success in a game-like situation on Saturday, as he logged a two-yard rushing touchdown on South Carolina’s first preseason scrimmage. After the scrimmage, Beamer said Fuller was one of the few offensive players to score that morning.
“Matthew Fuller is a young freshman that we’re excited about. I thought he ran the ball very hard today and didn’t look like a true freshman running back,” Beamer said. “He ran physical.”
Adaway III said he has served as a mentor to South Carolina’s younger teammates — like Fuller, Djay Braswell and Jawarn Howell — in the running back room. He added that he has already provided Fuller with advice before the freshman begins his college football career.
“I just tell him certain things like, ‘Hey, don’t be messed up about this and messed up about that. Yes, you got four more years, but also… go out there and play ball like it’s your last day every single day,'” Adaway III said.
