South Carolina opens spring practice. These position battles are most intriguing
South Carolina football is back — sort of.
The Gamecocks open spring practice Tuesday as coach Shane Beamer heads toward his third season in charge in Columbia. The spring game is 7 p.m. April 15.
With new names on the roster and among Beamer’s staff members, there’s plenty to be intrigued about as the march toward the 2023 campaign begins in earnest. Here are three position battles to watch as spring ball gets going this week:
Who starts at defensive end for Gamecocks?
It’s no secret that South Carolina is in a tricky spot at defensive end.
Jordan Burch (Oregon) and Gilber Edmond (Florida State) have both transferred elsewhere. Jordan Strachan is theoretically back, assuming the NCAA approves his waiver for a seventh year of eligibility. Behind that? Well, we’ll see.
Four-star freshman Monteque Rhames figured to get some run this year before he was arrested last month on a weapons charge. It’s unlikely he rejoins the team this year.
South Carolina does have a handful of pieces that could bear fruit this fall. Tyreek Johnson is entering his sixth year with the program and did some nice things as a rotational piece a year ago. Bryan Thomas Jr., too, was thrust into a bigger role than perhaps anticipated following Strachan’s injury. Now a sophomore, he showed flashes as a wide-eyed freshman. Expect him to be heavily involved in the rotation.
It’s also conceivable the Gamecocks’ starter opposite Strachan isn’t even on the roster yet. Beamer hasn’t been shy to say South Carolina still needs depth at defensive end. It’s a good bet USC looks to the transfer portal when the second window opens on May 1.
What happens behind Antwane Wells Jr. at receiver?
Getting Antwane “Juice” Wells Jr. back for another year in Columbia was a coup. Now comes figuring out the depth behind him.
South Carolina will lose four of its top five pass-catchers from a year ago. That leaves the crew of Ahmarean Brown, Dakereon Joyner and Xavier Legette to pick up the production.
Brown and Joyner figure to be the most likely to take on the starting roles in the slot. Joyner, now in his sixth year in Columbia, was hampered by injury a season ago. The hope is the fan favorite can turn into a more productive piece in now his fourth full season as a receiver after converting from quarterback. Brown, like Joyner, has been more potential than production in his time at South Carolina. The Georgia Tech transfer showed in spurts last year. The hope is he’ll put it all together this fall.
Legette is another piece here that feels poised for a breakout. His toe-tap touchdown catch in the Gator Bowl loss to Notre Dame will be played on loop long after his playing days. He also showed the ability to take the top off a defense when the attention shifts to Wells. I like Legette to be a big piece of what South Carolina does in 2023.
Replacing Brad Johnson and Sherrod Greene at linebacker
South Carolina has to replace a combined 12 years of college football experience at linebacker between Brad Johnson and Sherrod Greene. Still, this feels like the Gamecocks might upgrade some.
Mo Kaba figures to be the stalwart in the middle after he went down with a season-ending injury Week 2 at Arkansas. Who fills in next to him, though, remains to be seen.
Debo Williams is the most likely player to slide in alongside Kaba. The one-time Delaware transfer has earned a reputation as one of the biggest trash-talkers on the team. He played in a slew of different special teams roles his first season at South Carolina and worked his way into the linebacker rotation this past year.
Stone Blanton played in 12 of 13 games last fall, mostly in a special teams capacity. The former four-star recruit was initially slated to play baseball at South Carolina as well, but has focused his intentions on football. That certainly bodes well given the time that’s up for grabs.
It’s also conceivable freshman Grayson “Pup” Howard works his way into the mix, even if it’s in more of a reserve role. Howard is considered a special talent from a physical standpoint and in his leadership qualities. He arrived on campus in December in time just to participate in bowl practices. It’s more likely Howard is a special teams contributor this year, but he could work his way into some snaps down the stretch as Blanton did in 2022.
This story was originally published March 13, 2023 at 7:40 AM.
