These five Gamecocks are crucial to success in Shane Beamer’s first year at USC
South Carolina is a a week away from opening the Shane Beamer era against Eastern Illinois on Sept. 4 in Columbia.
Here are a few names who must have big years for South Carolina to succeed in Beamer’s first fall at USC:
RB MarShawn Lloyd/RB Kevin Harris
It’s probably not fair to separate out talented tailbacks MarShawn Lloyd and Kevin Harris.
Both should anchor the running game in 2021 and the Gamecocks will likely need both clicking for offensive coordinator Marcus Satterfield’s unit to have a chance.
Harris is currently rehabbing from a back procedure, though he was spotted at practice Wednesday participating in individual drills, taking handoffs and running short routes. He’s not quite in full-contact mode, but his recovery seems to be moving along.
Whenever Harris does come back healthy, he’ll bring a season’s worth of experience with it. Anchoring a floundering South Carolina offense a season ago, the Georgia native led the Southeastern Conference in rushing with over 1,100 yards and 15 touchdowns.
And then there’s Lloyd. The former high-four-star recruit lost his first season in Columbia to a torn ACL suffered in fall camp last year. Lloyd has looked the part of a game-changer out of the backfield in preseason practices, though.
Assuming Satterfield can find a way to get both Harris and Lloyd touches, this should be one of the most formidable backfields in the SEC.
DE Kingsley ‘JJ’ Enagbare
Another year, another South Carolina defensive lineman slated to be a first round pick.
Following in the footsteps of Jadeveon Clowney and, more recently, Javon Kinlaw, Kingsley “JJ” Enagbare should be the next USC defensive lineman selected on Day 1 of the NFL Draft next spring.
Enagbare has been a one-man wrecking crew during his time at South Carolina. Last fall, he recorded six sacks and three forced fumbles. He was also named a preseason All-SEC first team honoree in recent weeks.
South Carolina has all sorts of firepower on its defensive line in former five-star recruits Zacch Pickens and Jordan Burch, among others, but Enagbare will set the tone up front.
QB Luke Doty
I’ll add Luke Doty to this list, but it comes with a caveat: We don’t know when the former Myrtle Beach High School standout will be fully healthy. Whenever he is, though, Doty is as important as any piece to the Gamecocks’ offensive puzzle.
A former top-100 recruit, Doty dealt with a largely impossible situation a season ago during the end of the Will Muschamp era, but inspired enough confidence that he can develop into an upper-level starter at South Carolina. He then ran away with the quarterback competition in the spring before a teammate stepped on his foot in practice two weeks ago.
Doty continues to rehab from what Beamer has called a “sprain” in his left foot. Beamer said on his radio show Thursday that Doty was starting to slip on cleats in recent days and get used to them again post-injury.
If Doty can get back to full-health in the not-so-distant future, he’ll be crucial to South Carolina’s offensive success.
CB Cam Smith
Losing senior starters is always a tough pill to swallow. Losing one of the best defensive backs in school history is another matter.
That’s exactly what South Carolina is faced with as Jaycee Horn is now with the Carolina Panthers. In his place, it’ll fall on redshirt sophomore Cam Smith to hold down one side of the field.
Smith has been impressive in flashes during his two years at USC, but has been susceptible in pass coverage one too many times. That said, he did record two interceptions a season ago and has an ability to make big plays for a secondary in need of playmakers.
Smith, like Doty, is still rehabbing from a foot injury, but Beamer has remained optimistic he’ll be back sooner than later. South Carolina needs Smith back for a host of reasons, but first and foremost, he’s the best defensive back on the roster and it’s not particularly close.
C Eric Douglas
To be fair, this could be one of any of the five projected starting offensive lineman, but I’ll go with the man in the middle of that group.
Eric Douglas is as experienced as any player on South Carolina’s starting offensive line and, as the center, he should be in charge of checks and calls along the line.
During the 2020 season, Douglas’ offensive grade ranked fourth among USC’s offensive linemen that logged at least 20% of the Gamecocks’ offensive snaps, according to Pro Football Focus. That will have to improve in 2021.
South Carolina is going to run the ball early and often this fall. It’s also going to break in a new quarterback whether that’s Doty, recent addition Zeb Noland, FCS transfer Jason Brown or freshman Colten Gauthier.
If Douglas can anchor the offensive line in the middle, it’ll take plenty of pressure off whoever is under center and make things a bit easier in the run game.
This story was originally published August 28, 2021 at 8:10 AM.
