Gamecocks add new QB to roster. He’s got experience and a unique background
In its 10th practice of fall camp, South Carolina added another quarterback to the roster.
Zeb Noland has moved from a graduate assistant role to the practice field, taking reps at quarterback during Tuesday’s media viewing period. Head coach Shane Beamer confirmed his addition to the roster while speaking with reporters afterward.
“He’s going to compete like everyone else,” Beamer said. “If he deserves the opportunity to play and can help us win football games, he will. And if he can’t, he won’t.”
Though he was originally in a GA role with the Gamecocks, the 6-foot-2, 224-pound Noland still has college eligibility. He played at Iowa State for three seasons before transferring to North Dakota State, where he backed up first-round NFL draft pick Trey Lance.
Noland took reps at quarterback alongside Jason Brown, Connor Jordan and Colten Gauthier in Luke Doty’s absense. Doty was the Gamecocks’ starter throughout the preseason before he was sidelined with a foot sprain in last Friday’s practice.
“This is something that we’ve been talking about the possibility of potentially doing for a while,” Beamer said. “It wasn’t like we weren’t discussing it before Luke got hurt. We were.”
Noland has played more recent football than anyone else on South Carolina’s roster, as North Dakota State competed in a spring football season after COVID-19 canceled the Bison’s fall season. In 2021, Noland went 51-for-100 with 721 passing yards, five touchdowns and six interceptions.
“He’s played in a lot more football games as a starting quarterback than probably all of them combined at the college level,” Beamer said.
Beamer said Noland’s addition wasn’t born out of a desperation for more quarterbacks, but he acknowledged the room was more scant than ones he worked with in his previous stops at Oklahoma and Georgia.
“It’s not like I went down to Five Points last night and asked people at a bar if they played high school quarterback,” Beamer said.
Noland originally signed with Iowa State’s 2016 recruiting class as a three-star, pro-style passer out of Oconee County High School in Watkinsville, Georgia.
Practice report
▪ Doty was not present during the media viewing portion of South Carolina’s Tuesday practice. He spoke with reporters afterward, riding into the interview room with his left foot in a cast and elevated on a scooter.
Doty reiterated that the injury is a mid-foot sprain. He expects to be out of the cast in a few days to fully start on his rehabilitation. He remained optimistic that he could be ready for the season opener Sept. 4.
▪ Injury update: Beamer said defensive tackle Rick Sandidge is dealing with a “lower body injury” from Saturday’s scrimmage and might be out for a bit longer than originally anticipated. He did not offer an update on wide receiver Trey Adkins or offensive lineman Hank Manos, who also are dealing with unspecified injuries from the scrimmage. Both were on crutches during Tuesday’s practice.
▪ Tight end-wide receiver E.J. Jenkins is dealing with a “personal issue,” Beamer said. He missed Tuesday’s practice but is expected back soon.
This story was originally published August 17, 2021 at 12:52 PM.
