Carolina Confidential - Team notes as SEC Media Days begin

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— South Carolina will have its moment in the bright lights of SEC Media Days this afternoon in what annually signals the official start of college football season around here.

In a couple of weeks, we’ll be gearing up for the first practice. A couple of weeks after that we’ll have a load of preseason camp storylines to chew on. And a couple of weeks after that we’ll be breaking down Georgia State’s backup left tackle and discussing Shawn Elliott’s return to Williams-Brice Stadium.

By all intents, it’s here folks!

— Shane Beamer chose to take three seniors — Dakereon Joyner, Zacch Pickens, and Jovaughn Gwyn — as Carolina’s representatives at media days and those selections are worth diving in on briefly.

Obviously, with Joyner, it’s sort of a no-brainer why he was chosen. Beamer has always expressed that he is a huge fan of the way Joyner carries himself and the way he’s been willing to help the team in any way needed.

His story last season — not only starting the bowl game at QB but carrying the day and playing a huge role in the win — was one of the best stories of bowl season. He’s a great representative of what Beamer wants the program to be all about.

But let’s show some love to Pickens and Gwyn as well.

I always think it’s interesting to see when a player, as they progress from an underclassman to an upperclassman, sort of morphs from being one of the guys to being a leader, to taking ownership. For some guys, it happens earlier than with others. Then with some, they never really express the leadership trait, and that’s fine.

Pickens has reached the point of his career where he has taken ownership of both the defensive line and the defense as a whole as several seniors moved on from that front this past offseason. I think he’s poised for a big season on the field but I also think he’s settled in well to a new leadership role among his peers, and I’ve got to think that played into Beamer picking him.

There are few guys on the South Carolina roster who have gained as much respect within the confines of the football ops building as Gwyn, who has been one of the team’s unsung heroes.

Many I have talked with in or around the program consider him the best blocker on the team. But perhaps even more important than that is he’s a consummate professional, who just puts his head down and works, with no complaining.

I don’t get the sense he’s much of a vocal leader but make no mistake, he helps set the example for the rest of the o-line and he also sets a tone at practice with his physical competitiveness. In my opinion, he’s highly underrated by the fan base.

— In gathering info around the program during the offseason, one name that has continued to come up is that of graduate transfer walk-on running back Dante Miller.

The former Columbia University standout settled in beautifully with the Gamecocks’ summer workout program, which is no easy feat. Most newcomers, even transfers, have a learning curve when it comes to the workouts but Miller quite literally hit the ground running as one of the fastest guys in the program.

Don’t let the lack of height (listed 5-foot-9) fool you, he’s got an extremely muscular build and looks great physically. Obviously, the running back room is deep, but whether it’s filling in at running back or playing some role on special teams, I’m led to believe that Miller (No. 25) will help the Gamecocks somewhere this year.

— You already know about the positive spring returns on transfer WR Antwane Wells Jr., so we won’t rehash them here, but I’ve also heard similar returns on summer transfer Corey Rucker.

I’m told that Rucker certainly looks the part and has been impressive in the player-run practices. In Rucker’s Arkansas State highlights, he appears to have some speed and certainly impressive burst in his skillset, so I was a little bit surprised to hear how much of a workout warrior he is from a strength standpoint as well.

Apparently, the Gamecocks’ new receiver can throw around the weights in the training room, which maybe shouldn’t be a surprise when seeing that he’s now listed at 212 pounds. His high school profile listed him at 190 and his Arkansas State bio didn’t have a weight, but I’ve sort of readjusted my personal thoughts on his skillset in my head. He should be someone who can not only get open but can also be a strong, physical blocker on the outside, especially given that’s something Justin Stepp emphasizes.

The receiver conversation has quickly changed from a year ago and there’s going to be a ton of competition for starting spots this season.

— It’s always a bit dangerous to start making offseason predictions about true freshmen.

I’ve done this long enough that I can tell you many occasions where incredibly well-placed sources have bragged on a newcomer in workouts, only for them to never see the field in Year 1 and there have of course been cases where a freshman has struggled at first but then really settled in once practice gets going and made an early impact.

So you always have to take these things at face value but I have heard the staff is very happy with what it’s seen from freshman safety Nick Emmanwori so far. While the physical attributes have all been well documented during the recruiting process, Emmanwori has impressed so far with his ability to quickly learn and retain new information, a vital quality for any freshman to contribute early.

I’ve always believed that Emmanwori would be a candidate to help on special teams as a freshman but considering the lack of proven depth at safety and the new info about Emmanwori, he’s quickly become someone to watch in that safety rotation.

— At last check, among the freshman offensive lineman, the plan was to spread the three of them out among the various offensive line spots. That would mean playing Grayson Mains at center and then Cason Henry and Ryan Brubaker split among guard and tackle (I’m not sure which will play which spot, just that one will play each).

Freshman Zavier Short is currently listed as a tight end on the official roster but I can’t rule out him ultimately moving to the receiver room.

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