Who could South Carolina bring to SEC Media Days in Dallas this year?
In a little under two weeks, it will start to feel a little more like college football season is here in the SEC.
SEC Media Days will take place from July 15-18 at the Omni Hotel in downtown Dallas, Texas this year. South Carolina will take the stage on the first day of the event, along with LSU, Ole Miss and Vanderbilt.
Each year, teams get to bring along a few players in addition to the coach who will be speaking to the national media. For Shane Beamer, who is entering his fourth season with the Gamecocks, he brought Spencer Rattler, Tonka Hemingway and Kai Kroeger last year in Nashville.
An official announcement hasn’t been made as to who will join Beamer in Dallas yet. But for now, let’s take a look at who some of the potential choices could be.
Debo Williams
This is one of the few players that feels like a no-brainer, an obvious choice. Williams is undoubtedly the leader of South Carolina’s defense. He’ll be entering his fourth season with the program after being named one of the six permanent team captains last year.
Williams led the Gamecocks with 113 tackles with nine tackles for loss and one sack. Oh, and those 113 tackles were third-most in the SEC. He’s someone that knows what he’s talking about when he’s at the podium and would be good to have in Dallas.
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LaNorris Sellers
Another player you could call an obvious choice for this event. Last year, there were five SEC quarterbacks in attendance, with Rattler being one of them. So it wouldn’t necessarily be surprising if Beamer were to bring Sellers.
That said, Beamer always talks about competition and how nothing is given at South Carolina. So in what would be Sellers’ first year as the starter under center, he might want to wait until next year to bring him. Not that it’s much of a secret that he should start from the jump.
But it’s also possible Beamer doesn’t hold back and just goes for it. Sellers is going to be fascinating to watch this year and he will be a big talking point regardless of if he’s there or not.
Nick Emmanwori
Here’s a guy that will be entering his third straight season as a starter on South Carolina’s defense. Emmanwori has been a big player for the Gamecocks since he arrived on campus. It only makes sense that at some point he should get the chance to go to media days.
Much like Williams, he’s definitely one of the key leaders on defense. He’s more experienced now and been through a lot of college football. However, it’s possible Beamer sticks to a similar approach to last year where he brings one player on offense and defense. But Kai Kroeger probably won’t go again this year so that could change. In this case, Emmanwori is definitely a deserving candidate.
Luke Doty
In terms of most likable players, Doty is definitely up there for South Carolina. He’s very similar to a guy like Dakereon Joyner where he has played all over the field and does whatever is asked. He also just seems to have a great personality and gives good answers in media availabilities.
Doty is listed as an athlete on the roster on the team’s website. But he should see some time at wide receiver again while still working with the quarterbacks. Much like some of the other guys listed, he’s been here for a long time. He’s what you might call a Gamecock through and through. For that, why not bring him along in his fifth year?
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Kyle Kennard
Kennard is one of the newer guys on the team, transferring to South Carolina during the offseason from Georgia Tech. But he’s also very experienced with one year of eligibility remaining.
He should be a huge factor at the EDGE position for the Gamecocks this year. He’s another veteran on this list and can definitely give some good answers with the media.
Vershon Lee
Last year in Nashville, there were seven offensive linemen at media days. So the odds South Carolina could ask Lee to join wouldn’t be that low. He’ll enter his fifth season and has made 27 starts in his career at three different spots on the line.
One of the main talking points might be how the Gamecocks are going to be able to protect whoever is at quarterback this year. After all, the offensive line did not have a good season last year. So it could be good to hear from one of the veterans like Lee and see what’s going to be different in 2024.
