Shane Beamer gives pre-spring thoughts on quarterback battle

In an interview with GamecockCentral earlier this year, South Carolina head coach Shane Beamer said that redshirt freshman LaNorris Sellers would get the first rep of spring practice… and then the quarterbacks would battle it out from there. That on-field battle will soon begin.

That QB group is set to take the field in just one week when the Gamecocks begin spring practice.

Beamer also said that he’d been impressed with the emerging leadership qualities of not only Sellers but the rest of the quarterback room during winter workouts.

In a recent interview with On3’s J.D. PicKell, Beamer expounded on what he likes about Sellers as a player and person.

“He’s a great young man, first and foremost; really used that year last year to get better,” Beamer said. “When we put him in games last season, he performed well. Whether it was at the end of the game in wins over Vanderbilt and Furman; we used him in a package against Kentucky as well. And he was always productive in those moments; moments not too big for him. So, I think he’s got a great way about himself.

“And then, just physically, he’s a big kid and can run. He’s still young, don’t be wrong, but he’s a winner. [He] won a state championship in high school at South Florence High School here in South Carolina and is made of the right stuff. So he’s young. We gotta continue to be good around him.”

The 6-foot-3, 240-pound Sellers is certainly the consensus fan favorite to earn the starting job after wowing Gamecock Nation in his three brief appearances last season, but Beamer has made it clear that the starter will be determined by who performs best.

Last season, Sellers completed all four of his passes for 86 yards and two touchdowns adding five carries for 51 yards and a score.

“We got a competition in that room along with Robby Ashford, who we brought in from Auburn; Davis Beville, who transferred in from Oklahoma; Dante Reno, a freshman that just got here, and Luke Doty, who’s been in our program now since before I became the head coach,” Beamer continued. “So I like that room. They’re doing a good job of supporting one another, and I’m excited to watch that quarterback position compete with one another when we start spring practice.”

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Ashford, A fifth-year player, has appeared in 22 career games, completing 137-of-277 passes for 1,758 yards with nine touchdowns and nine interceptions while rushing 199 times for 927 yards and 12 TDs.

In his one year as a college starter, Ashford was 123-of-250 passing for 1,613 yards and seven touchdowns with seven interceptions. He also rushed for 709 yards and seven scores.

Both Sellers and Ashford provide an athletic threat at the position, as does Doty, who is going to be focused more on playing receiver during the spring. Davis and Reno are more pocket-passers.

Davis has played in 16 career games, making one start, and has completed 37-of-62 passes for 339 yards with one touchdown and two picks. Reno was ranked the No. 34 quarterback in the 2024 class by the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average of the four major media ranking services.

What will Beamer be looking for as he and the staff select a quarterback?

“The leadership and the intangibles you want at the position and somebody that can lead our football team,” Beamer said. “And then, for me, it’s really just being able to protect the football and make good decisions. All three seasons that I’ve been here at South Carolina, we’ve been first or second in takeaways defensively.

“So, we’ve done a great job creating turnovers on the defensive side of the ball. We need to do an even better job, offensively, protecting the ball… So, just a guy that will make great decisions and lead our offense and give us a chance to win football games.”

The Gamecocks kick off spring practice on March 19 with the Garnet and Black spring game set for April 20 at Williams-Brice Stadium.

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