Shane Beamer assesses WR, TE rooms and who could be impactful in passing game
When you look at South Carolina’s wide receivers room in 2024, the first thing that stands out is certainly not height. Of the 15 receivers on the roster, 12 of them are 6-foot-1 or shorter.
Is the lack of size an indication of what the group will do this season? No. But it’s interesting to think that’s how it played out when Shane Beamer and his staff recruited these receivers.
“When you talk about that group, there’s no question it is what it is,” Beamer said. “We have more smaller guys, if you will, than bigger guys. Our top guys are not that body type.”
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While the Gamecocks’ strength at the position isn’t size, it could rather be versatility — a word that’s been used a lot lately to define that group. They may be on the smaller end as a group, but they do have some bigger receivers, probably two of the tallest in the SEC. Having a lot of “versatile” players that can do different things may turn out to be an advantage.
“You also have Dalevon Campbell and Nyck Harbor who are big bodies on the outside,” Beamer said. “So I think between Camp and Nyck, you got two guys that give you that big presence at the receiver position. And then you’ve certainly got some other guys that can make plays and have a skillset.”
In terms of who the main receivers will be, it’s still too early for Beamer to say. That’s going to be the case at nearly every position, outside of the few with clear-cut, returning starters. But he did say he “wouldn’t rule out” getting the tight ends more involved in the pass-catching game this year.
In each of Beamer’s first three years in Columbia, tight ends have been a staple in South Carolina’s offense. If you go back to those seasons, at least one tight end finished top three in receptions each year. That should still be the case with Josh Simon returning and Brady Hunt joining the fold. But Beamer also noted some others who will have a shot to make an impact from that room.
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“You talk about Brady Hunt, you talk about Josh Simon. Nobody ever talks about Maurice Brown,” Beamer said. “That guy’s going to play a lot for us on offense this year. Mike Smith is going to play a lot for us on offense this year. So we’re excited about what those two guys have brought to the equation in that tight end room.”
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In case you aren’t familiar with either tight end, Brown is a second-year walk-on who was a regular on special teams last year, playing in 11 games. He caught 18 passes as a senior in high school, with 11 of those catches going for touchdowns.
As for Smith, he’s a 6-foot-6, 255-pound freshman and was one of the key players landed in South Carolina’s 2024 recruiting class. Beamer said Smith caught a touchdown in the team’s scrimmage on Saturday.
When it does come time to put together a depth chart, Beamer will play who can help the most. He teased how the offense utilizes its receivers and tight ends could vary.
“My job is, every single week, to do what gives us the best chance to be successful and put the best 11 guys out there to play, whether that means four receivers, or whether that means no receivers,” he said. “We’ll do what gives us the best chance to win football games. Same thing with running backs, tight ends. Let’s find out what these guys do and give them opportunities to go make plays at the running back, tight end and receiver position.”
