Five Gamecock storylines to watch ahead of South Carolina-Illinois Citrus Bowl matchup

South Carolina is five days away from its Citrus Bowl matchup against Illinois. Kickoff will be at 3:00 p.m. on ABC and ESPN+.

The Gamecocks and Illini have never met on the gridiron, so the Orlando-based bowl will have some added intrigue. However, there also are some important storylines USC fans will want to pay attention to over the next several days. Let’s look at five major storylines to watch ahead of the Citrus Bowl.

[Join GamecockCentral: $1 for 7 days]

Pursuing 10 wins

The first, and potentially most obvious, talking point for many is the Gamecocks’ pursuit of 10 wins. South Carolina football has finished a season with at least 10 wins just four times in its history. 1984 (10-2), 2011 (11-2), 2012 (11-2), and 2013 (11-2) are the only instances in which Carolina has cracked a double-digit win total.

Considering how Shane Beamer’s team started this season 3-3, having a chance at a 10-win season is remarkable. The Gamecocks rattled off six wins in a row to finish the regular season, including ranked victories over Texas A&M, Vanderbilt, Missouri, and Clemson. South Carolina won three road games against power conference competition during that stretch. They also beat Oklahoma, Texas A&M, Vanderbilt, and Wofford in lopsided fashion.

While the hottest team in the country didn’t make the College Football Playoff, there still will be plenty of eyes on the Gamecocks this New Year’s Eve. Garnet and black recruiting momentum has been palpable as multiple big-time prospects committed to South Carolina down the stretch of the regular season or on National Signing Day. Adding a 10th win only will help strengthen the future in Columbia.

Personnel

As always seems to be the case, personnel is a major topic of conversation during bowl season. The transfer portal opens before bowl games, some players opt out as they prepare for the NFL Draft, others have draft decisions to make after the bowl, injuries are still a factor, redshirt rules don’t apply, and coaching changes affect it all.

The Citrus Bowl will deal with all of those potential personnel issues.

For South Carolina, the transfer portal has claimed 15 players (13 on scholarship) from the team. One, quarterback Robby Ashford, remains with the team and could play in the game.

All-American EDGE Kyle Kennard will not play in the bowl as he prepares to be taken early in the 2025 NFL Draft. Running back Rocket Sanders made a similar draft announcement to Kennard but didn’t explicitly mention his bowl plans. Coach Beamer has denied any additional opt-outs past Kennard and one other player “weighing his decision” (most likely, Sanders), but that is always subject to change. Which players step up behind Kennard, Sanders, or any other missing starters will be a key to the game.

Juniors Nick Emmanwori and TJ Sanders are the most likely draft-bound Gamecocks who still maintain some college eligibility. Both the All-American safety and All-SEC defensive lineman have been mocked as high as the 1st round. Linebacker Bam Martin-Scott is out of eligibility, but a recent NCAA ruling will provide some former junior college players (like Martin-Scott) with a 2025 waiver. Will it count for the USC linebacker? Emmanwori, Sanders, and Martin-Scott all appear set to play in the Citrus Bowl.

A few players are dealing with uncertain injury situations. This is most apparent at the tight end position. Brady Hunt got hurt against Missouri and missed the final two regular-season games. His status for the bowl hasn’t been decided. Josh Simon and Michael Smith missed the penultimate game against Wofford but played at less than 100% against Clemson. Several other Gamecocks are banged up, as well.

Redshirted players like Tree Babalade (OL), Nick Barrett (DL), Jawarn Howell (RB), and others won’t have to worry about compromising their extra year of eligibility in the bowl game. The four-game redshirt rule does not count bowl game participation. Some major names for next year’s team could get extended action in this one because of it. Fans can expect the USC coaching staff to play anyone and everyone available if they feel it will help the Gamecocks win a 10th game.

Speaking of the coaching staff, Dowell Loggains is now the head coach at App State, and Mike Shula is the new offensive coordinator. Having worked closely with quarterback LaNorris Sellers all year as an analyst, the Shula shift shouldn’t be too drastic. The rest of the coaching staff all received raises and extensions earlier this month.

[Get our free newsletter! Don’t rely on search engines and social media for your Gamecock info.]

Records within reach

With one game left on the 2024 slate, the South Carolina football record books are in danger.

USC has six wins by at least 21 points this season. That is one shy of the program’s all-time record set by the 1987 squad. A blowout victory over Illinois would match that team’s total of seven lopsided triumphs.

If they see any action, redshirt seniors Kai Kroeger and Tonka Hemingway will break the program record for games played. Both players have 60 games played under their belts, tying them with Parker White for the all-time mark.

From a team perspective, the Gamecocks are within reach of its all-time, single-season sack record. Back in 2012, the Jadeveon Clowney-led defense brought down 42 opposing quarterbacks. This year, Carolina has totaled 40 sacks.

Freshman EDGE Dylan Stewart posted 6.5 sacks this year despite fellow defensive end Kyle Kennard hogging 11.5 of them on the other side of the line. Stewart’s number is 1.5 shy of Jadeveon Clowney’s freshman record.

Tight end Josh Simon is tied with Clyde Bennett for the most receiving touchdowns by a tight end (six) in a single season. A bowl game score from No. 6 would give him the new record.

Back in 1986, quarterback Todd Ellis set the South Carolina freshman record for yardage with 2975. LaNorris Sellers has 2929 total yards this year, so the 2025 Heisman hopeful should own the record soon. Sellers also trails Ellis’ freshman passing touchdown record of 20 by just three scores.

Punter Kai Kroeger is averaging 47.6 yards per punt this season. Joseph Charlton averaged 47.7 yards per punt as a senior in 2019. With a couple of good punts (two 50-yarders would do it), Kroeger will break Charlton’s single-season punting average record. Kroeger’s also virtually locked into the second-best career average behind Charlton.

Will the Sellers/Stewart hype trains keep rolling?

LaNorris Sellers is one of the most talked-about players in college football right now.

During South Carolina’s scorching hot finish to the regular season, Sellers was elite. Earning All-SEC selections and SEC Freshman of the Year honors from multiple publications, the young signal-caller posted one of the best months in Gamecock history this November.

In fact, Sellers was so good that Shane Beamer called him the “best player in the country” after beating Clemson. Several national analysts echoed Beamer’s sentiments, too. Now, the Florence, South Carolina native is one of the favorites for the 2025 Heisman Trophy.

Nothing has seemed to rattle Sellers. Now, with the noise around him louder than ever, can he continue dominating? A strong showing against Illinois will make him the most hyped athlete in Columbia since Jadeveon Clowney.

While not quite as hyped up as Sellers of late, freshman EDGE Dylan Stewart would be the biggest name on 90% of college football teams.

Depending on which outlet one checks, Stewart finished the season top-10 nationally in quarterback pressures. He also is close to Clowney’s freshman sack record.

Stewart was extremely disruptive all season and is a shoo-in to be a 1st round pick in 2027. If he makes some noise in the Citrus Bowl, he could be the second-most talked-about rising sophomore in the country behind Sellers.

[Get USC Gamecocks app notifications]

Saying ‘goodbye’ is the hardest part

Though the 2024 version of South Carolina football has some incredible younger players, the senior class was special this fall.

Kyle Kennard spent just one year in Columbia, but he left his mark on the program. As just the fifth consensus All-American in team history, the EDGE player also won the Nagurski Trophy as the top defensive player in the sport. Behind him, Gilber Edmond is leaving his reserve role after graduating.

Defensive tackles Tonka Hemingway and Boogie Huntley seemingly have played for the Gamecocks forever. Senior transfer DeAndre Jules helped out this year, too. All three will play their last game next week. Junior TJ Sanders could be off to the NFL, as well, meaning next year’s defensive front will look very different.

Linebackers Demetrius Knight, Debo Williams, and Bam Martin-Scott are fan favorites and also really good in the middle of the USC defense. While there is a chance BMS is back next year due to a new NCAA ruling, Knight and Williams will be in the NFL in 2025, and Martin-Scott’s return is not set in stone, either.

On the back end of the defense, cornerback OD Fortune also will play in his final game. A likely NFL Draft pick, Fortune is one of the most improved players on the Gamecock defense. Utility defensive back David Spaulding has made a lot of plays in a lot of different roles during his time at South Carolina; his last game also will be against Illinois. Junior safety Nick Emmanwori will have a draft decision to make after the bowl but could be a 1st or 2nd round pick.

On offense, three senior linemen will suit up one final time against Illinois. Vershon Lee has played a ton of football in garnet and black, and transfer portal additions Torricelli Simpkins and Kamaar Bell upped their respective performances just in time for South Carolina to go on their run this fall.

Tight end Josh Simon is out of eligibility, too. With one game left available to him, Simon could break the program’s single-season tight end touchdown record against Illinois. Next year, No. 6 will be in the NFL.

Running back Rocket Sanders declared for the draft, possibly indicating a bowl opt-out. In just one year in Columbia, Sanders helped turn around a run game that was the worst in team history in 2023. He also created one of the top moments ever in Williams-Brice Stadium with his earthquake-inducing shovel pass touchdown run in the closing seconds of the comeback win over Missouri. Scatback Juju McDowell felt like he’d always be with the team, but his eligibility will expire after the bowl, too.

Wide receivers Gage Larvadain and Dalevon Campbell had some big moments this fall. Both players were in town for just one season but were solid contributors who fought through injuries to help the Gamecocks win. On the other end of the spectrum, former walk-on Payton Mangrum has been on the team since Will Muschamp was the coach. He has graduated and will move on from the team this offseason.

Special teamers Kai Kroeger, Hunter Rogers, and Alex Herrera are all super seniors. Next week’s contest will mark their final time on the field as Gamecocks. Kroeger and Rogers have arguments as the best-ever players at their positions, and Carolina will need to find replacements at all three specialist spots for 2025.

Gamecock fans hope to send these seniors and NFL Draft declarers out on a positive note.

Discuss South Carolina football on The Insiders Forum!