O'Mega Blake making most of opportunity with Juice Wells banged up
South Carolina has been without its leading receiver for nearly all of training camp with Juice Wells limited during practice. But, in his absence, a few inexperienced guys are getting more first-team looks.
Wells’ injury thrust O’Mega Blake into the limelight. And it seems like he’s making the most of his opportunity.
“For him, he’s getting a bunch of reps he might not have gotten in a different role. For him, we have a better evaluation of him and he has more confidence,” Dowell Loggains said.
“He’s been in the huddle with Spencer (Rattler) more than he’s ever been. For him to have that success and that opportunity, he’s a guy quarterbacks believe in and the rest of the team believes in. He’s made a tremendous jump the last six or seven days.”
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For Blake, it’s been a long time coming for his chance to crack the two-deep.
After redshirting in 2021, he played in just three games last season with one catch for two yards while he got his feet under him. The talent is there, but it’s about consistency for Blake to take that next step after spending a lot of his time on the scout team his first two seasons.
“O’Mega’s been making plays since he got here. I think he’s just getting an opportunity to play right now. He’s making the most of it and making plays every day,” Ahmarean Brown said. “He’s going to have a big year. I’m expecting a lot out of him. We’ve been seeing him grow up here this past year. I’m excited to see what he can do.”
With more reps, he’s certainly gotten better there and is still improving as the season quickly approaches. But he’s turning heads with a lot of his teammates so far this camp.
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He had a strong first scrimmage and seems to be carving out a role offensively this season.
“O’Mega’s been a great weapon for us. He’ll go get the ball. He’s a high-IQ football player. He just has to learn the small details. Obviously, you have Nyck (Harbor), who’s just raw, big and fast. We’re still teaching him the ways. O’Mega had a great scrimmage. I hit him for a 75-yard touchdown in the scrimmage, and Nyck made some plays as well.
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Regardless of Wells’ health and availability in week one, South Carolina is going to need Blake to step up this season.
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There isn’t a ton of proven experience behind a trio of entrenched starters–Wells, Brown and Xavier Legette–and Blake is a prime candidate to play a rotational role this year.
And Loggains likes what Blake can bring to the table when he’s consistent offensively.
“It’s consistency. It has nothing to do with talent. He has a lot of twitch in his body. He’s a guy that can run off the ball. The term we use a lot in the wide receiver room is raging off the ball,” he said. “He can put his head down and run by people. He can put the fear in people to back off and then run a comeback. Or if you’re going to press him he can run by people on go routes.”
South Carolina is still working through what Blake’s role is going to look like in earnest. But his teammates are eager to see what he can do in his third collegiate season.
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“O’Mega, he’s a star. I can tell you that right now. He’s going to be great for us,” Keenan Nelson Jr. said. “He definitely does a lot of good things for us. He’s developed greatly. He’s stronger, tougher, faster, bigger and he’s going to be good.”
