Depth chart observations and more from latest Gamecock spring football practice
South Carolina football returned to the practice field Monday after taking most of last week off, when coach Shane Beamer switched up the practice schedule to get players more rest and rehab. The weather was gorgeous and media members were allowed to view the first few periods of work. Here are some observations from the outing:
▪ A couple players stuck around for the usual stretching portion of practice but were without pads and withdrew into the indoor facility once drills started, presumably to rehab. The gate opening onto the practice fields was closed, however, so media could not see what they were doing inside. There are no more yellow jerseys to denote a player is injured or somehow limited. As with the first practice the media watched, the only players wearing different-colored jerseys to indicate no contact were the QBs.
▪ Chief among the group of injured players who went inside was running back MarShawn Lloyd, who continues to rehab from an ACL tear. He did go through some light sprinting during the stretching period. Also among those who went inside were running back Bruce Staley, corner Joey Hunter, wide receiver Randrecous Davis and tight end Jesse Sanders.
▪ Not spotted anywhere on the practice field was defensive lineman Rick Sandidge. Sandidge posted to social media on Saturday about a scary car accident he had been involved in, posting pictures that showed his vehicle completely flipped. Sandidge tweeted that the only injuries he sustained were a cut to his hands and a headache, and his position coach, Jimmy Lindsey, said he was checked out by the team’s medical staff. He had previously been spotted in a boot at the team’s first practice.
▪ Both punt and kick return drills were run while the media was watching. On the punting side, wide receivers Rico Powers and Ahmarean Brown were fielding balls, while receivers Dakereon Joyner, Xavier Legette and Jalen Brooks were taking kicks.
▪ It’s been said before, but director of character and player development Derrick Moore remains a hugely vocal presence, especially during the stretching period. He was running around, yelling motivation and even stopping to adjust a few guys’ forms.
▪ The Gamecocks ran through a ball security drill at one point in which the QB flipped the ball to a receiver, who was hit with pads and wrapped up by defenders. Head coach Shane Beamer was right there in it, sticking with a group led by quarterback Luke Doty and featuring a lot of tight ends in Nick Muse, EJ Jenkins, Traevon Kenion and Keveon Mullins, among others. Beamer was getting after it, staying active and reminding guys to hold onto the ball.
▪ Several defensive lineman have noted early in spring practice that new D-line coach Jimmy Lindsey takes his time with a deliberate, methodical teaching approach during practices. That was on display Monday as Lindsey worked with his group on hand placement, taking the time to make sure each player got it right.
DEPTH CHART UPDATE
The offense and defense split up to go through walk-throughs during the media viewing period. Players were moving between groups a little and obviously nothing is set in stone, but below is a look at some of the main groups and how the depth chart looks early.
First team:
QB: Luke Doty
RB: ZaQuandre White
WR: Dakereon Joyner, Jalen Brooks, Chad Terrell
TE: Nick Muse
OL: Jazston Turnetine (OT), Jaylin Nichols (OG), Eric Douglas (C), Jakai Moore (OG), Dylan Wonnum (OT)
DL: Aaron Sterling (Edge), Jabari Ellis (DT), Zacch Pickens (DT), Kingsley Enagbare (Edge)
LB: Brad Johnson, Sherrod Greene
DB: RJ Roderick (S), Dominick Hill (CB), Jaylan Foster (S), O’Donnel Fortune (CB), David Spaulding (CB)
Second team:
QB: Colten Gauthier
RB: Kevin Harris
WR: (Incomplete) OrTre Smith, Josh Vann
TE: Jaheim Bell
OL: Jordan Rhodes, Hank Manos, Tyshawn Wannamaker, Vershon Lee, Wyatt Campbell
DL: Jordan Burch, Tonka Hemingway, Keem Green, Rodricus Fitten
LB: Damani Staley, Darryl Ware, Debo Williams
DB: (Incomplete) Fabian Goodman
▪ The third team was even more fluid, but redshirt senior transfer QB Jason Brown was running that unit for the offense, with fellow transfers EJ Jenkins and Ahmarean Brown at wide receiver.
This story was originally published April 5, 2021 at 11:16 AM.
