Shane Beamer makes a declaration about USC’s young WRs: ‘We’ve got to play them more’

Wide receiver is an unusual spot in college football in the fact that it’s simultaneously one of the easiest to play as a freshman while learning curve issues also regularly keep talented players off the field in Year 1.

South Carolina (2-3) has five freshmen at the position: Tyshawn Russell, Nyck Harbor, Kelton Henderson, CJ Adams and Elijah Caldwell. Russell and Harbor are the only two newcomers to play, but they’re behind five others in terms of snap counts five games into the year.

So what would it take for them to step into a more prominent role this season?

“Just consistency,” Gamecocks coach Shane Beamer said. “It is easy to say, just throw them out there and limit what you do schematically. That is easy to say. But you also have to be able to put a game plan together that allows you to be successful. That is at any position. I thought they did OK (against Tennessee on Saturday). We do need to get them out there.”

Each of the top freshmen has had a bit of an unusual path thus far.

Russell was the least-heralded as a recruit, but he’s been the most active. He’s been targeted five times and has 77 yards on the season.

Nyck Harbor, a former five-star recruit as an athlete, has actually played more snaps than Russell but only caught one pass deep into garbage time. He’s definitely a freak talent, but he’s also learning a brand new position, and he came to college with a steeper learning curve since he hadn’t really honed any one spot in high school.

But he’s started helping out in one area Beamer wanted to highlight.

“I thought Nyck did some good things,” Beamer siad. “Nyck was on our kickoff coverage (against Tennessee). He was on our punt pressure team. We are continuing to get him going on special teams.”

Caldwell has yet to play in a game, which came as a bit of a surprise after he was among the players the staff talked up as being ready through the offseason. The 6-foot-1, 191-pounder came through the Northwestern High football machine in Rock Hill and showed out as a senior.

Henderson and Adams are more of developmental players, so them not playing isn’t surprising.

Beamer pointed to some of those details that can keep a young player on the bench. Russell caught a pass against the Vols, a shorter comeback route for seven yards, slipping down on the catch.

“The route we threw to Tyshawn out there on our sideline, the depth of the route was off,” Beamer said. “And that’s why it looked a little bit funky, with him catching it and falling down. It’s details. That is what I told the team today. It is not just freshmen, it is everybody.”

Those are growing pains, some of the developmental moments.

Meanwhile, the receiver rotation overall has been in flux.

Xavier Legette has exploded into being a star, but fellow starters Ahmarean Brown and Juice Wells have been slowed by injury. O’Mega Blake has stepped up, making good use of his athletic ability. Behind them, Memphis transfer Eddie Lewis showed flashes but saw his snaps swing wildly, and backup QB Luke Doty has made a few plays, but seems more like a secondary play-maker.

South Carolina can’t just rely on Legette, Beamer said, particularly with other veterans dealing with their injuries.

“We’ve got to get better at wide receiver in a hurry,” he said. “That means these young freshmen, we’ve got to play them more. Tyshawn Russell, Nyck Harbor — we’ve got to play them more.”

Receiver is also a hard spot because having a depth of guys can only do so much. There are only so many snaps and targets to go around, and if there’s a balanced group that isn’t at the top play-maker level, it can be a dogfight for playing time.

And Beamer and his staff know what they have to teach to elevate players in that mix

“The details matter,” Beamer said. “That is on us as coaches. Starting with me. ... Just the consistency and when you know what to do, you are able to go out there and play confidently and play fast.”

Next South Carolina game

Who: USC (2-3, 1-2 SEC)) vs. Florida (3-2, 1-1)

When: 3:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 14

Where: Williams-Brice Stadium in Columbia

TV: SEC Network

This story was originally published October 3, 2023 at 7:10 AM.