Young wide receivers could see opportunity in Gator Bowl
South Carolina will have to get creative with its offensive personnel Friday against Notre Dame in the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl.
On Monday Shane Beamer announced that Josh Vann was out for the Gamecocks bowl game.
Beamer also announced Monday that Jalen Brooks was “doubtful” to play due to an off-the-field issue. On Thursday though, Beamer officially declared Brooks out for the game.
“I would say he’s out at this point, for sure,” Beamer said. “Certainly he’s been here working really hard for us this week. Don’t expect him to play tomorrow.”
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With Brooks now out, South Carolina will be without their second, third, fourth, fifth, and seventh leading receivers for the Gator Bowl.
Vann, Brooks, Jaheim Bell, Austin Stogner and MarShawn Lloyd accounted for 1,417 of the 3,093 receiving yards the Gamecocks totaled in 2022.
With all those weapons missing, South Carolina will now turn to some younger or less experienced players to fill the void.
Xavier Legette isn’t young by any means, but the senior has seen most of his playing time come on special teams during his time as a Gamecock. He’ll likely be a wide receiver that the Gamecocks will lean on Friday.
“They’re starting to use me a lot, that’s what I want,” Legette said. “I feel like that’s what I needed all season. I guess I just didn’t get the opportunity to do it. Now I’m starting to get the reps that I need.”
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Legette said the current starters at wide receiver include Juice Wells, Ahmarean Brown, Dakereon Joyner and himself.
Wells and Legette both said redshirt freshman O’Mega Blake is a young guy who has shown signs of growth this bowl season – and could make some noise against Notre Dame.
“O’Mega Blake is stepping up,” Wells said. “He attacks the ball very well and he’s got big hands. He wears four-X gloves…He’s attacking balls that’s what I love about him.”
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Blake has seen very limited action this year. He’s totaled just 12 snaps, all coming on special teams.
The former three-star recruit from Rock Hill is a perfect example of the kind of player who could benefit from a thinner wide receiver room in the bowl game, and he’s not alone.
“Positions that guys left, It gives another opportunity for other guys to step in and make those plays,” Wells said. “Every guy’s got to step up and just take on that role.”
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Another young guy that has made an impression on Legette is Payton Mangrum. Legette said Mangrum has “started to show more in the offense as well” on Wednesday.
The redshirt sophomore was a walk-on that was placed on scholarship this year and has seen a majority of his snaps come on special teams.
Mangrum logged 248 snaps this season, all but 16 of them came on some kind of special teams unit.
Mangrum’s only catch in his three years at South Carolina came on a fake punt last year at Tennessee. Kai Kroeger reared back and found Mangrum for a 44-yard touchdown pass.
Despite the potential personnel differences, Wells said this won’t be an entirely different offense that trots out onto the field in Jacksonville.
“I don’t really see nothing major changing,” Wells said. “The last two games we threw the ball a lot so I feel like it’s gonna be a lot of that.”
