The hard balancing act South Carolina is finding in getting Luke Doty on the field
South Carolina quarterback/wide receiver Luke Doty didn’t get on the field in his first game in a Gamecock uniform. His second game, he played one offensive snap.
On his Thursday call-in show appearance, USC coach Will Muschamp gave a more detailed explanation on the tricky balance his staff is trying to find with the talented dual-threat freshman out of Myrtle Beach.
“Luke has a harder explanation from the standpoint, we got to get him ready at the quarterback position,” Muschamp said. “Because you don’t know if Ryan or Collin gets COVID, now he’s the backup. Or if they both (get it), he’s the starter. So we’ve got to prepare him at the quarterback position. He’s repping in the slot behind Shi (Smith), who is playing pretty good. So, I mean, we’re trying to get him ready at receiver as much as we can. But we’ve also got to be getting Shi looks he needs to practice. And then obviously get Luke some opportunities to quarterback. So it’s a hard balance right now for us.”
The coach talked up the potential of the four-star freshman, who was a top-100 national recruit and Elite 11 passer.
Doty started playing some receiver in the offseason, helping at a position that’s thin behind Smith, who has been a workhorse early on. At 6-foot-1, Doty is one of the fastest players on the team.
He was a dynamic player in high school, throwing for more than 5,000 yards in his final 36 games and providing a threat as a runner. He played some wide receiver as a true sophomore.
Muschamp also said his freshman will come along, but there’s a bit of patience needed as he learns both spots in only Year 1.
“In our society, it’s a microwave society,” Muschamp said. “It’s add water, instant player.”
Young tight ends show promise
Muschamp mentioned the work receiver-tight end Keveon Mullins had put in against Florida, getting his first real career action, and then he mentioned a guy who was only in for a play or two: Eric Shaw.
The dynamic athlete from Alabama got a little mention last week, and Muschamp spoke about the physical potential he could grow into. Shaw was only about 218 pounds in the preseason, and his growth was slowed by a nagging bone spur issue.
“He is gonna be a big young man at the end of the day,” Muschamp said. “He’s got big man features. He’s a guy that I’m really excited about. I hate that he had those bone spurs. He missed most of training camp and for a young player that’s hard.”
He was a two-way threat at a small high school, showing of hitting ability on defense in addition to his receiving chops. Muschamp has said he wants to play offense, so that’s where they’re keeping him.
Tight ends are asked to know a lot in terms of the passing and running games, and Shaw is still catching up there.
This story was originally published October 8, 2020 at 8:29 PM.
