The procrastinator’s guide to the 2021 South Carolina football season
A new era is beginning in Columbia.
After Will Muschamp’s ousting amid a 2-5 start to the 2020 season, Shane Beamer takes the reins of a South Carolina program that has won only six games over the past two seasons.
So what will Year 1 under Beamer look like? The effervescent coach and son of Hall of Famer Frank Beamer has brought an energy and excitement to the program that it’s largely lacked since Steve Spurrier was patrolling the sidelines at Williams-Brice Stadium.
Excitement aside, Beamer has a tall task in returning USC to the glory days of three-straight 11-win seasons that happened from 2011 to 2013.
If you’re just now plugging in for the new season, here’s what you need to know before Saturday’s first kickoff.
What’s new with the roster?
Key departures: QBs Collin Hill and Ryan Hilinski, DBs Jaycee Horn and Israel Mukuamu, and OL Sadarius Hutcherson
Key additions: QBs Zeb Noland and Jason Brown, DL Jordan Strachan, DBs Carlins Platel and Marcellas Dial
Key returnees: TE Nick Muse, RBs Kevin Harris and MarShawn Lloyd, OL Eric Douglas and WR Jalen Brooks
When’s the first game?
South Carolina opens the season at home this Saturday, Sept. 4 against Eastern Illinois. The game kicks off at 7 p.m. at Williams-Brice Stadium. Not going to be there in person? It’ll only be available via digital streaming (ESPN+ and SEC Network Plus).
Can’t-miss games
Is it fair to call a season opener against FCS foe Eastern Illinois a can’t-miss game? Probably not. But it will be the first time Beamer trots out to the tune of “2001: A Space Odyssey” as the head coach at South Carolina, so it’s worth circling.
USC’s most important games are likely early-season matchups with Kentucky and Tennessee.
▪ Kentucky, Sept. 25
Kentucky has been a pillar of stability under Mark Stoops — despite calls to fire him in recent years — and the Wildcats have trudged from SEC East bottom feeders to consistent middle-of-the-pack finishers. If South Carolina beats Kentucky, it’s a good bet they start the season 3-1. That’s about as good as you can ask for.
▪ at Tennessee, Oct. 9
Tennessee is far removed from the heights of Phil Fulmer’s tenure as head coach, and the Volunteers will break in a new lead man in former UCF head coach Josh Heupel this fall. Tennessee has been a mess since Jeremy Pruitt was fired amid a slew of alleged recruiting violations.
If South Carolina steals one in Knoxville, Beamer might do just enough to get the Gamecocks to a bowl game. Should that happen, he should be in the running for SEC Coach of the Year.
Carrying the load
▪ The running game. The “run the dang ball” crowd ought to be excited about the 2021 season in Columbia.
With a pair of talented tailbacks in junior Kevin Harris and redshirt freshman MarShawn Lloyd, South Carolina should take a ground-and-pound approach to this season.
Harris is the Southeastern Conference’s leading returning rusher after notching 1,138 yards and 15 touchdowns during his breakout sophomore season. The former three-star recruit has battled injuries in camp and was slated to miss the first part of fall ball after undergoing a procedure on his back.
Lloyd is among the more unknown but highest-ceiling prospects on the roster. He was a four-star recruit in the class of 2020 and a major recruiting win for Muschamp and his staff. Lloyd was sidelined for the entirety of last season after tearing his ACL in the preseason. Now healthy, coaches have been wowed by his potential thus far.
“I’ve been wanting this my whole life, to play in the SEC,” Lloyd said at South Carolina’s media day Aug. 5. “Coming out of high school, I was highly recruited and I want to show the fans that there was a reason why.”
▪ Strong on defensive line. Defensively, the Gamecocks return a stout defensive line that should be a strength this fall. Kingsley “JJ” Enagbare should be the next South Carolina defensive end to hear his name called in the first round of the NFL Draft. He’ll be part of a line that also includes former five-star recruits Zacch Pickens and Jordan Burch.
The Gamecocks also add Georgia State transfer Jordan Strachan to the fold after he tied for the FBS lead in sacks last season with 10.5.
A successful season is ...
Just don’t lose Week 2. No, seriously.
South Carolina’s schedule lines up nicely on the front end with the opener against Eastern Illinois followed by a trip to East Carolina and a date at Georgia. Home games in three of the next four against Kentucky, Troy and Vanderbilt — coupled with that aforementioned road game at Tennessee — should give folks a good view of where South Carolina stands early.
The potential problem comes Week 2 in Greenville, North Carolina. ECU has been a solid Group of Five program in recent years, and the wheels could come off quickly if the Gamecocks don’t handle business on the road.
Some of this will fall on whether quarterback Luke Doty is healthy. Doty is battling a foot injury that Beamer called a “sprain.” The hope is he can be ready for the season opener. If he can’t go, the early part of the 2021 season should be in the hands of graduate assistant-turned-player Zeb Noland, FCS transfer Jason Brown or freshman Colten Gauthier. That’s a major question mark at best.
Beamer has done enough talking and politicking this summer that he has fans riled up about his first season at the helm. A loss at East Carolina could be a disaster and perhaps a harbinger of a 2-10 or 3-9 season. No one is saying Beamer needs to win the SEC title in Year 1. The Gamecocks simply need to avoid being utterly terrible.
If Beamer gets South Carolina into the four- or five-win neighborhood and continues to sell a vision on the recruiting trail, that’s a massive win.
“To me, a successful season would be to maximize the ability and the potential of every single player, every unit in the entire team,” Beamer said. “And if I feel like we’ve done that, that’ll be a successful season.”
South Carolina Gamecocks projected starters
South Carolina Gamecocks football schedule
