Moment not too big for LaNorris Sellers as first start at quarterback approaches

With each day that passes, the anticipation continues to build. But in just a few more days, the moment will arrive and LaNorris Sellers will make his first start at quarterback for South Carolina.

In his first time speaking since head coach Shane Beamer announced he would start under center, Sellers said he’s “very excited” for this opportunity.

“You dream about things like this from a kid to now. It’s finally come true,” the redshirt freshman said. “So now, I’ve got to just go out there and play.”

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In the days after he earned the job, Sellers has been receiving plenty of messages from his family and friends. But he’s also been able to chat with one of his many mentors, former Gamecock quarterback Spencer Rattler.

“I talked to Spence the day they named me the starter. I talked to him after his two-minute drive, then I talked to him after his throw he had on Sunday,” Sellers said. “I think it’s just good, having him in the room, I could just look up to him as an older, experienced guy. Just his confidence, his ability to run the huddle, run the plays and stuff.”

Rattler had been the team’s starter in each of the last two seasons. Sellers played sparingly behind last year as a true freshman. With Rattler now in the NFL, this will be Sellers’ team for the foreseeable future. From the preseason talks, it seems he’s ready for the task at hand.

“He comes in every single day and he goes to work. He’s always extremely prepared, whether that be for a walk through, a meeting, or going out to practice, he’s always very well prepared. He knows his calls, he knows what he’s looking at, and he knows how to execute the offense and run it at a high level,” Luke Doty said.

“So I think he’s done a really good job, especially during camp, just coming into that role as a leader for the offensive side of the ball. When you get in the huddle with him, you know he’s going to be the guy to call the shots and be confident in whatever decision he’s going to make. So, yeah, he’s been awesome, and he’s definitely going to be well prepared on Saturday.”

Heading into fall camp, Beamer named Sellers as the starter, but that didn’t mean the job was going to be his. He still had to go through the month of August and compete for the job just like everyone else. Looking back, Sellers said it was for the best to have to earn his place.

“Competition pushes you to be better,” he said. “So I mean, it would be better to have someone in here competing with you rather than just coming here and they say, ‘Oh, you’re the starter.’ And it’s like, you might get lackadaisical. Not me personally, but I’m just saying it’s better to have competition.”

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When Sellers does take the field for the first time against Old Dominion on Saturday (4:15 p.m., SECN), there should be a large crowd for the home opener. In fact, it should be the biggest crowd he’s had to play in front of, now as a starter. But Beamer is confident his new starter will be just fine.

“Once the ball kicks off, it’s all football. We know that. But certainly, we as coaches know that it’s still going to be a lot on Saturday,” Beamer said. “But absolutely with LaNorris’ demeanor, he gives you a quiet confidence where the moment’s never too big for him with the way he handles himself. … I think it’s a great quality to have not just in a quarterback but any leader in my mind.”

And for Sellers, the approach won’t change. Just because he’s now the starter doesn’t mean he will change how he goes into a game. It’s all the same.

“I think you go into it the same way. You prepare the same way,” Sellers said. “Just because last year, if something happened, you’d need to be prepared. This year, you have to be prepared knowing I’m the guy.”

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