Outlet ranks two Gamecocks among top 11 college football returners, three in top 100
This weekend, College Football Network’s Oliver Hodgkinson released his rankings of the top 100 players returning to college football. Three South Carolina standouts feature on the top 100, including a pair of sophomores in the top 11.
Be in the know about all things Gamecocks for just $1 per week—lock in this special offer!
According to CFN, junior wide receiver Nyck Harbor, redshirt sophomore quarterback LaNorris Sellers, and sophomore EDGE Dylan Stewart are among the top talents in the sport as spring practice nears. Harbor ranks 88th, Sellers comes in at No. 11, and Stewart is the list’s No. 2.
Hodgkinson included Harbor based on how he projects the rising junior to continue developing this season. Citing Harbor’s flashes in 2024 and “ludicrous athletic profile,” he argues that USC offensive coordinator Mike Shula could unleash the 6’5″ speedster in a bigger way this fall. He nearly doubled his production from his freshman year to his sophomore year. Doing that again likely would put him near the top of the SEC. Harbor also played his best ball late last season and isn’t running indoor track this winter to focus on football.
Sellers, who is No. 11 on the list, also had a strong finish to the 2024 campaign. In fact, the Palmetto State native was one of the country’s best players in November. In his write-up, Hodgkinson was bullish on the Gamecocks’ signal-caller heading into his second year as the starter. He called Sellers “one of the most exciting players at any position that you’ll see in college football this season.” With that, he argued that Sellers playing up to his full potential will “lead to team success and individual accolades.” Last year, Sellers became the first South Carolina quarterback to earn All-SEC honors from the league’s coaches, and his team narrowly missed the College Football Playoff. Another step forward could take USC to new heights.
Top 10
- 1New
Unacceptable chant
Arizona apology to BYU
- 2Hot
Bracketology
Wild March Madness on deck
- 3
Chad Baker-Mazara
SEC officiating call out?
- 4Trending
Jai Lucas
Responding to Miami reports
- 5
Brett Yormark
Crowns Big 12 best in CBB
Get the On3 Top 10 to your inbox every morning
By clicking "Subscribe to Newsletter", I agree to On3's Privacy Notice, Terms, and use of my personal information described therein.
Stewart ranks 2nd overall on the CFN list, behind only Ohio State receiver Jeremiah Smith. Coming off of a season in which he brought home multiple Freshman of the Year and Defensive Freshman of the Year honors, Hodgkinson called Stewart’s effort in 2024 “one of the most dominant performances off the edge by a freshman that we’ve seen in recent history.” His production far outweighed his statistical output, but the rising sophomore could be even better for the Gamecocks in 2025. If South Carolina is to overcome what could be a historic number of defenders taken in the 2025 NFL Draft, it will have to come with a big year from Stewart.
Win tickets to USC-Clemson baseball (Sunday game in Columbia)
Former Gamecocks Corey Rucker (wide receiver, Arkansas State) and O’Mega Blake (wide receiver, Arkansas) slotted in at No. 91 and No. 43, respectively.
In 2025, South Carolina will play against 21 players from the CFN top 100. Despite that, only one of the Gamecocks’ opponents will have more top-100 standouts than USC. The rival Clemson Tigers placed five on the list. Alabama, LSU, and Vanderbilt (yes, you read that correctly) tied Carolina with three. Ole Miss, Missouri, and Texas A&M all landed two players in the rankings. One Oklahoma Sooner cracked the top 100.
