Jaheim Bell absent from South Carolina’s day on offense. Head scratcher?
Eight games into the 2022 college football season, many are wondering why South Carolina tight end Jaheim Bell isn’t more involved in the offense.
Bell received no touches in Saturday’s 23-10 loss to Missouri, and has caught only 13 passes all year. He had 25 last season.
USC head coach Shane Beamer said Bell is fully healthy and that “we’ve got to give him the ball more.”
“We got a lot of great playmakers on our offense, at receiver, at running back, at tight end,” Beamer said. “When you play 53 plays on offense, and you’re 5-of-13 on third down, it’s hard to play a lot of plays and get all those guys the ball.”
Bell in the offseason was dubbed the team’s “wide back” because of his versatility. The coaches have said often about how important it is to give him the ball in space and how they wanted to involve him in different ways this year.
He’s received numerous comparisons to former USC wide receiver Deebo Samuel, who also was known for his ability to impact the game as a pass catcher and a ball carrier. Bell also made the John Mackey Award watch list in the preseason, an award given to the nation’s best tight end.
Earlier in the week, offensive coordinator Marcus Satterfield spoke to how important it is to get Bell the ball.
“To me, Jaheim is one of the most talented players in football that I’ve ever been around in my life,” Satterfield said on Wednesday in his weekly press conference. “If it was up to me, I’d find a way to get him the ball a thousand times.”
Bell wasn’t the team’s most consistent weapon last season, but he did have a few games in which he starred.
Most notably, Bell shined in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl against North Carolina. He finished with five catches for 159 yards and two touchdowns. The performance elevated him in offseason chatter about being a 2023 NFL Draft prospect.
The bowl was one of four games for Bell last season in which he caught at least four passes. He’s done that just once this season.
He has more carries (19) than receptions as well, though that is by design in order to use him more creatively. Even with starting tailback MarShawn Lloyd injured for the second half of Saturday’s game, the team turned to Juju McDowell and Christian Beal-Smith in the backfield.
The team has been able to use different weapons in the pass game at times.
Transfer wide receiver Antwane Wells Jr. has been a reliable target in most of South Carolina’s games, with 37 catches for 464 yards. Jalen Brooks has emerged as another target with 21 catches of his own.
Austin Stogner — a transfer tight end from Oklahoma — has 17 catches, including the four he collected on Saturday.
Bell has shown flashes of his big-play ability, including the 46-yard reception he had against Georgia. But his involvement overall for the Gamecocks has been low.
Satterfield on Wednesday praised Bell’s growth as a player as he commented about how and when he’d receive touches on offense.
“He’s worked very hard of being a complete tight end/football player/receiver,” Satterfield said. “His skill set, he’s born with that. What he’s doing without the ball right now is really, really, really good. It’s going to be putting him in a situation where he can get the ball with a little bit more ease.
“I hope he gets the ball 20 times. That means we’re doing pretty good.”
This story was originally published October 29, 2022 at 9:03 PM.
