What's next at the RB position?

Back in April, we mentioned an intriguing idea to Gamecocks fans on The Insiders Forum:

What about former high school quarterback Kamron Sandlin getting a look in the backfield, if another option was needed?

It was said again this month, particularly in light of the fact that USC had not had any fortune in the transfer portal.

We can also now say that the concept of giving Sandlin a look – although not a sure thing by any means then – had been at least bandied about in the football operations building.

When Sandlin committed to South Carolina last summer, the staff told him that they wanted to use him like Jaheim Bell, moving him around to different spots.

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Bell, of course, ended up being USC’s second-leading rusher during the 2022 season.

When Dowell Loggains was hired as the Gamecocks’ new offensive coordinator, in December, he mapped out to Sandlin during an official visit how he wanted to use him as a wildcat quarterback.

The 6-foot-3, 220-pounder is plenty comfortable with carrying the football, which one can see by turning on the tape from his career at Anniston High.

South Carolina pursued Notre Dame transfer Logan Diggs this offseason, who ended up committing to LSU. NC State’s Demie Sumo-Karngbaye pledged to Kentucky after USC circled back.

The Gamecocks do not have any additional offers out to players already in the portal. Graduates can still jump in at any time, but there have not been any additions on that front that jump out, either.

“I’m not as worried about the running back position as maybe the outside narrative is. Do I wish we had more? Yeah, absolutely,” Shane Beamer said on Monday night during a Welcome Home Tour stop in Florence. “It’s not Armageddon in our building because we didn’t get a transfer running back.”

USC returns JuJu McDowell, moved Dakereon Joyner this spring to the running back position full time, and brought in Newberry’s Mario Anderson as a pre-spring transfer. Four-star freshman DJ Braswell will join the program this summer.

Beamer has pointed out more than once that the Gamecocks will rely on receivers like Ahmarean Brown, Xavier Legette, and Juice Wells, too, whether that’s on sweeps or screens and bubbles that are basically extensions of the run game.

That said, the third-year head coach wants his program to find more solutions there.

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“You’ve got to be creative and get the ball in different people’s hands. You can generate runs with different people,” he explained. “There’s no question, we need more depth at the running back position. We’ve got to be able to line up and run the ball downhill, without a doubt. Other players on the team have to be able to help us generate some runs.”

Beamer hinted on Monday that the staff could look toward the 2023 class for additional ball-carrying help.

“Are there some incoming freshmen coming in that have experience with the ball in their hands, playing different positions? Sure,” Beamer answered. “II think you’ve got to keep your options open, evaluate guys when they get there and see what they can do.”

Out of those candidates, Sandlin seems to make a lot of sense. Other players set to enroll this summer with ball skills are more true “receivers”, and two-way standout Vicari Swain is ticketed to begin his career as a defensive back.

We don’t know yet that Sandlin will definitely be in the backfield in year one, but it does make a lot of sense. An interesting idea could ultimately become a reality.

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