South Carolina transfer QBs embrace competition, no guarantees
Adding depth to South Carolina’s quarterback room was one of Shane Beamer’s top priorities in the offseason.
Shortly after its season-ending loss to Clemson, the Gamecocks had one quarterback on its roster: LaNorris Sellers. Spencer Rattler declared for the NFL Draft, and both Tanner Bailey and Colten Gauthier entered the transfer portal.
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But Beamer was not about to let any transfer quarterback join the program, despite lots of interest. He also made very clear his stance on allowing a quarterback to have a “guaranteed” starting job.
“A lot of quarterbacks called and said, ‘Will you guarantee me the starting quarterback job?’ And I said, ‘Absolutely not. I will guarantee you the opportunity to come in here and compete.’ We talk about competition in this building at all times. It’s on the walls in this building,” Beamer said in a press conference on Dec. 20.
“I’ve never told a player I’m guaranteeing you a starting job, and never will. Because the minute I do, then I’m a complete freaking fraud as a head coach in that.”
Beamer admitted that multiple quarterbacks turned away from the program this offseason after not being promised playing time. But that didn’t stop Robby Ashford and Davis Beville from joining South Carolina during the offseason.
Ashford and Beville have both had experience as starting quarterbacks in their college careers. Ashford made nine starts for Auburn in his first year with the Tigers in 2022. Beville has made just one collegiate start – also in 2022 when he was at Oklahoma.
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Despite this, competition is ultimately what drove both quarterbacks to commit to South Carolina. And both Ashford and Beville have embraced that opportunity to compete.
Ashford said South Carolina’s staff made it clear there would be competition in the quarterback room early in the recruiting process.
“They told me straight up, ‘It’s a competition,’” Ashford said. “And as a competitor, that’s all I can ask for.”
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Beville said Beamer expressed similar sentiments to him as well.
“He said, ‘All I can do is promise the opportunity for you to compete,’” Beville said. “And that’s all I can ask for.”
For Ashford, he also believes competition will improve not just his own play, but that of his teammates.
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“This opportunity because it only makes me better, and this room better. At the end of the day, we always want to get better, any type of step or fashion,” Ashford said.
“Just working with those guys – with Luke, LaNorris, Davis, Dante – it’s been great. It’s been fun, just us getting to work together and keep getting better every single day.”
Beville said that the nature of the transfer portal makes it more difficult for quarterbacks to buy into potentially not having much playing time. Players at that position now have more opportunities than ever before to get those guarantees at another school.
But as long as Beamer is coaching at South Carolina, that will not be the case. And Beville credited Beamer for getting every quarterback on the team to buy into the belief that competition is important for the team’s overall success.
“I think it’s tough nowadays to go about it like that, with how many people are switching schools in the portal. So I think that says a lot about him and the way the program’s going,” Beville said. “The best man is going to have the opportunity to win. And it won’t just be anyone promised anything.”
