SEC Spring Check-In: South Carolina looking to rebound with several new faces on offense

Before the Texas Longhorns officially join the Southeastern Conference on July 1, Inside Texas is going around the SEC to check in with each of Texas’ new conference mates for updates on the latest spring storylines, important roster notes, and much more as the Longhorns embark upon life in a new league.

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Chris Clark, football and recruiting insider for GamecockCentral, took the time to answer a few questions about the South Carolina Gamecocks as they enter year four under Shane Beamer. The Longhorns are not scheduled to face South Carolina this year.

1. How much different will the SEC be in ’24 not only with Texas and Oklahoma joining, but also the elimination of divisions?

Similar in one way, quite different in another.

In terms of level of difficulty, it’s more of the same for South Carolina, which perennially has one of the country’s toughest schedules when factoring in the SEC plus Clemson out of conference. Having to play new addition Oklahoma on the road right before Alabama on the road sounds about par for the course.

From that standpoint, South Carolina’s schedule will remain hard year in and year out.

What is different is some of the games that Gamecock fans have grown accustomed to going away. Not playing Georgia every year is extremely strange. Same with Florida and Tennessee, neither of which are on the schedule next season.

The SEC is just getting more and more competitive.

2. What is the spring storyline to track on offense for the Gamecocks (transfers, star recruits, coaches coming and going, etc.)?

There’s a lot to unpack on offense. The first thing is the quarterback situation, which is an open competition but is expected to be won by sophomore LaNorris Sellers. He’s an incredibly talented player with a big upside.

USC will have a battle for starting spots at wide receiver, where multiple transfers will factor in. The offensive line will also feature plenty of competition after an injury-laden 2023 season.

Running the ball better is a huge priority. Transfer Rocket Sanders won’t do much during the spring recovering from labrum surgery, but fellow transfers Oscar Adaway and Jawarn Howell will.

3. What’s the spring storyline to track on defense for the Gamecocks?

South Carolina played much better down the stretch last season after implementing a 3-3-5 look as part of the defense. 

One theme over the last few years has been the Gamecocks’ inability to consistently stop the run, so that will probably be storyline number one.

Can the Gamecocks create more pressure up front on opposing passers, and can the defense stop the run? 

Some of that won’t be answered until the season, but that will be the emphasis in spring.

4. Which returner from the 2023 roster was the most important for South Carolina?

In my view, it’s LaNorris Sellers. This program loses the talented Spencer Rattler at the most important position on the field. While Sellers is short on experience, he’s extremely talented. 

5. Which transfer portal addition was the most important for SC?

It’s Rocket Sanders. He’s being counted on to help solve run game issues that have really held back the USC offense.

6. Which class of 2024 signing was the most important for SC? 

Five star EDGE Dylan Stewart. The D.C. product has considerable potential but could help in year one in a key area, rushing the passer.

7. The game SC fans have circled on the 2024 schedule is…

I think you would get several different answers if you took a poll of South Carolina fans.

How about Missouri, though? The Tigers have a painful winning streak against the Gamecocks, and USC’s inability to get over the hump against Eli Drinkwitz‘s team is a source of frustration.

8. What are Gamecock fans’ impression of Texas?

I sense some excitement about the Longhorns coming into the league. Gamecock fans are already pre-plotting a trip to Austin in their minds. There’s a recognition that Texas has built back into a power under Steve Sarkisian and that the team’s presence in the SEC makes an already difficult league that much more challenging.

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SEC Spring Check-Ins

• Mississippi State: Jeff Lebby begins a new era
• Texas A&M: Aggies start over with Mike Elko ahead of the return of the rivalry
• Ole Miss: The Rebels are going for it all in 2024
• Florida: A pivotal year three awaits Billy Napier at Florida
• Georgia: UGA looks to assert itself as top-dawg in new-look SEC
• LSU: With Jayden Daniels moving on, what’s next for Brian Kelly?
• Kentucky: Wildcats move forward with new faces at QB & OC under Mark Stoops
• Tennessee: Volunteers have a new quarterback and a whole lot of optimism