Spring game offers first look at Gamecocks’ freshman receivers. They impressed
.JPG "South Carolina’s Malik Clark scores a touchdown Friday in the 2025 Garnet and Black Spring Game at Williams-Brice Stadium.")
Bolstered by a group of freshmen, South Carolina coach Shane Beamer called his receiving group the most talented it’s been during his time as head coach.
Beamer made those remarks after Friday’s Garnet and Black Spring Game in which five true freshmen were among the receivers who saw action in the game.
It was the young group of early enrollees’ first time playing inside Williams-Brice Stadium with fans present.
Those five freshman receivers had their moments, accounting for more than half of the team’s catches in the game.
“There are some guys that elevate their games when lights come on. Those receivers have had a nice spring,” Beamer said. Wide receivers coach Mike Furrey “has done a great job with those guys. We are excited about the group and the receiver position. There is more talent in that room than there has ever been in my time here at Carolina. That freshman class is impressive.”
Brian Rowe Jr. led the way with five catches for 45 yards for the Black squad and made a key 23-yard grab to set up QB Cutter Woods’ 1-yard touchdown run.
Jayden Sellers led the Garnet team with three catches, and Rock Hill’s Malik Clark had the lone TD catch of the game, a 16-yarder from Luke Doty with one second left in the second quarter that put the Garnet team up 10-7.
The ball was thrown a little behind Clark, who adjusted and made the diving catch in front of the right pylon.
“Malik went and bailed me out there with that one,” Doty said.
The Gamecocks signed six high school receivers this recruiting cycle — Clark, Lex Cyrus, Jordon Gidron, Rowe, Sellers and Donovan Murph. Four of the receivers are in-state additions, and all but Murph were on campus since January and went through spring practice.
Murph attended Friday’s game and has been at most of the team’s spring practices as he prepares to graduate early from Irmo High School.
Having those receivers and other returnees is something that the Gamecocks didn’t have last year. Nyck Harbor was running track while transfers Dalevon Campbell and Vandrevius Jacobs didn’t arrive until the summer.
“Those receivers went through growing pains but got better. They have a confidence about them,” Beamer said.
Beamer also praised the freshmen’s competitiveness and their ability to elevate the rest of the receiver’s room. They all will give quarterback LaNorris Sellers more weapons to work with as he looks to build on his breakout season from a year ago.
“We knew what we had coming out of high school,” Sellers said. “We expect them to be good players and come in and play. You got to be ready to play, and they showed tonight they are.”
This story was originally published April 19, 2025 at 7:45 AM.
