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Pick your starters: Offense
- Thread starter Swayin
- Start date
Here's mine:
QB: Luke Doty
RB: Kevin Harris (can he build Heisman momentum?)
TE: Nick Muse
TE: EJ Jenkins (portal from St. Francis; could they roll him to WR?)
WR: Jalen Brooks
WR: Josh Vann or OrTre Smith (now or never, dudes)
WR: Xavier Legette
OC: Eric Douglas
LG: Jaylen Nichols
LT: Jazston Turnetine
RG: Jovaughn Gwyn
RT: Dylan Wonnum
QB: Luke Doty
RB: Kevin Harris (can he build Heisman momentum?)
TE: Nick Muse
TE: EJ Jenkins (portal from St. Francis; could they roll him to WR?)
WR: Jalen Brooks
WR: Josh Vann or OrTre Smith (now or never, dudes)
WR: Xavier Legette
OC: Eric Douglas
LG: Jaylen Nichols
LT: Jazston Turnetine
RG: Jovaughn Gwyn
RT: Dylan Wonnum
Very similar to my choices:
QB: Doty (he is miles above everyone else at the position in terms of game experience, even if it's not great in itself)
RB: Harris (he earned this right - Lloyd needs time to slowly work his way into college FB and recovering from his injury, and White is still proving himself, but both as well as Rashad Amos will get carries and make up great depth)
TE1: Muse (after Shi Smith, Muse was easily the #2 receiver last season, and Smith is gone. So like Harris, he's a de facto starter.)
TE2: A lot of good options here: I put Keveon Mullins first - he's a WR convert to TE who missed half of last season with an injury, but had some good plays including the offense's longest reception of the season in 57 yds from Hill. Also had another for 44 yds - he only had 3 receptions all season, so he seems built as a big-play receiver! He's also the most senior Gamecock of the rest of the suspects as a red-shirt sophomore. After him, Jenkins is a good choice, but also I expect Traeveon Kenion, Jaheim Bell, and Eric Shaw to be in solid position. None of them did anything last season, and its a whole new staff, but they were all high 3-star/low 4-star prospects who will be sophomores with a year in a college program, so they should be ready to start contributing)
WR1: Vann and/or OrTre are both seniors, and as you say it's now or never for them. Vann hasn't shown anything in his career, but Smith has, although it's been ages ago. 6-7 Transfer Jenkins will add his length to 6-4 Smith and 6-5 Ger-Cari Caldwell as our tallest targets.
WR2: Jalen Brooks and/or Ahmarean Brown (Wingate transfer Brooks struggled to make the field in games last season and only played in 6 games, but he had more receptions for more yards, and at a greater average than Vann who appeared in all 10 games. It could be his time to break out. Georgia Tech transfer Brown is not as tall as Brooks, but like Brooks he led his former team in receiving and it was a P5 major program as well, so he may be on a faster track to contribute. Brown is also perhaps immediately the speediest WR on the team, and will be a good option to replace the departed Smith in that capacity.
WR3: Legette (like Brooks Legette only appeared in 6 games last season, but was 3rd behind Shi Smith and Muse for non-running back receivers in total receiving yds with 118 yds. Also former 4-star Rico Powers will get runs here.
The OL is perhaps the most solid position, with 4 of 5 starters returning from last season, losing only Sadarius Hutcherson at LG.
C: Eric Douglas (A senior, Douglas started all 10 gms last season at Center, and has a total of 11 starts in his career. I imagine Hank Manos will back him up)
LG: Jordan Rhodes (rs-senior who started 10 games at LG in 2019 when Hutcherson was moved that season to LT. He missed fall camp practice time choosing to opt out due to covid-19 but then recanted and returned to the team. He only played in 4 games last season, and spent time with the OL. Expect to see some snaps go to Tyshon Wannamaker)
LT: Jakai Moore (this position was up for grabs for most of the season until Moore took over. Dylan Wonnum started the first 3 games there while Moore started at RT for the 1st 2 gms, then the 3rd game vs Vanderbilt Vershon Lee started at RT while Moore backed him up. Then Wonnum moved back to RT for the final 7 games, and JUCO OL Jazston Turnetine started at LT for the next 3 gms. FINALLY, Moore started at LT for the final 4 gms of the season, to give him a total of 6 starts at both tackle spots over the season, and a total of 8 starts for his career. Whew! I expect Moore to continue to start at LT, with Turnetine available to back him up effectively.
RG: Jovaughn Gwyn (total 21 starts - all consecutively at RG - and 23 total gms. He is part of what will be a rock steady right side of the line for USC. Vince Murphy and Wannamaker will provide supporting depth)
RT: Dylan Wonnum (total 24 starts in 26 gms - Wonnum was moved to either side of the line at Tackle, but his consistency has been at RT. Jaylen Nichols, who has 4 starts at RT in 2019, and Vershon Lee will back him up there).
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Homebrewcock
GCF Top Poster
Wow. Some great insight here! Thank guys.
I think we have the bodies at WR to have a decent staff, but they just haven't developed. In recent years under Muschamp, we've had leading receivers such as Pharoh Cooper and Deebo Samuel who were 3-stars, and others like Brian Edwards and Shi Smith who were 4-stars. We currently have four (4) former 4-stars at WR in OrTre Smith, Josh Vann, Dak Joyner (as a QB), and Rico Powers. Did have 5 until Mike Wyman hit the portal. We have former 3-stars in Xavier Legette, Jaylen Brooks, and Ahmarean Brown who are expected to be high on the depth chart for us this season.
If we can develop two dependable receivers from the WRs, with what we already have at TE in Muse, Mullins and Eric Shaw, we could have a decent - not great - but decent passing attack. It will depend on what the staff can develop.
As to the OL, the right side will be as solid as it could ever be, minus any injuries. Douglas at C, Gwyn at RG, and Wonnum at RT are our most experienced OL. The left side is only the bigger question due to losing Hutcherson from LG last season - he and Jakai Moore became pretty solid once Moore settled in at LT. In the final 4 games with Moore and Hutcherson in place, the Gamecocks averaged 377 total ypg after averaging 340 ypg in the first 6 games.
But it's hard to split hairs about an offense that was still putrid throughout the entire season. The best we can say at this point is that the OL - as good as it can be - should be pretty experienced and established as a unit this season. But we DID go 2-8 last season, and have only won 6 games total in the past 2 seasons, so take any optimism with a pint of salt.......
Josh Vann is such an enigma ... he must practice REALLY, REALLY well, because he gets a ton of PT ... but the drops, my gawd ...
Great insight guys, not much to add on the starters. I'm anxious to see if we can pound Harris at teams for 2.5 - 3 quarters and then send in Lloyd with fresh legs and hopefully a bit of an attitude (in a good way) of living up to his hype.
I also think WR has a chance to be better than a lot of the "experts" think.
I also think WR has a chance to be better than a lot of the "experts" think.
I'm going to trust what the coaches say and put together a starting team that I think gets the best guys on the field...the 'multiple' in multiple offense:
QB: Luke Doty - super athletic, good leader and Coach Sat is a guru
RB: Kevin Harris - earned and deserved...great stable of backs with Lloyd and White...love White's passion for the game
TE: Nick Muse - real tight end with good size and hands
TE/HB: Jaheim Bell - was coming off the knee his senior year of HS last year but that dude is SUPER ATHLETIC! Big, strong, fast...can play tight, wide, run....HB instead of FB because he is so versatile
WR: Ahmarean Brown - Absolute burner...4.38 forty...D1 experience that adds very real and elite speed to the offense. 99.9% of every person to ever play the game does not have wheels like this kid does
WR: E.J. Jenkins - 6"8"...IF he can catch a football he is a red zone prototype!
WR: Dak Joyner - the only thing more impressive than his athleticism is his leadership and team mentality
O-line should be solid, experienced and pretty established so I won't bother with that but this is a big, strong, athletic and versatile starting group right here...just need to find a way to get White on the field more...Parker White being back is a good thing as well. I don't think we are as far away as some people may think. Can't turn the ball over and need some guys to step up at WR but there are guys and I absolutely love their new WR coach...we will see
GO COCKS!!!
QB: Luke Doty - super athletic, good leader and Coach Sat is a guru
RB: Kevin Harris - earned and deserved...great stable of backs with Lloyd and White...love White's passion for the game
TE: Nick Muse - real tight end with good size and hands
TE/HB: Jaheim Bell - was coming off the knee his senior year of HS last year but that dude is SUPER ATHLETIC! Big, strong, fast...can play tight, wide, run....HB instead of FB because he is so versatile
WR: Ahmarean Brown - Absolute burner...4.38 forty...D1 experience that adds very real and elite speed to the offense. 99.9% of every person to ever play the game does not have wheels like this kid does
WR: E.J. Jenkins - 6"8"...IF he can catch a football he is a red zone prototype!
WR: Dak Joyner - the only thing more impressive than his athleticism is his leadership and team mentality
O-line should be solid, experienced and pretty established so I won't bother with that but this is a big, strong, athletic and versatile starting group right here...just need to find a way to get White on the field more...Parker White being back is a good thing as well. I don't think we are as far away as some people may think. Can't turn the ball over and need some guys to step up at WR but there are guys and I absolutely love their new WR coach...we will see
GO COCKS!!!
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Historically the program has had its best seasons with QB tandems.
At Oklahoma, Beamer helped coach transfer QBs Kyler Murray (2018) and Jalen Hurts (2019) to success. He also had success with Spencer Rattler and Chandler Morris in 2020 before leaving to come here.
My perception is Spurrier's program went off the rails after Beamer left and his recruits finally matriculated through the system. Paul Dietzel told an interviewer that his job at LSU got much easier after he brought in good players, which is exactly what Beamer did here under Spurrier. It's easy to be pessimistic until the wins come, but the fact that Beamer is back here gives me a lot of hope for the team this year.
Jason Brown had better numbers in the Spring Game because I have heard that Beamer specifically told Doty not to run. We haven't had a good QB tandem that keeps opposing DCs guessing since Shaw and Thompson. I believe we finally have the chance to have some depth at the QB position with Beamer running the show.
None of you guys put the PK position on your lists. Parker White will be our ace in the hole that wins us some close games this season just like Elliott Fry did.
- Allen Mitchell/Mike Hold
- Connor Shaw/Dylan Thompson
At Oklahoma, Beamer helped coach transfer QBs Kyler Murray (2018) and Jalen Hurts (2019) to success. He also had success with Spencer Rattler and Chandler Morris in 2020 before leaving to come here.
My perception is Spurrier's program went off the rails after Beamer left and his recruits finally matriculated through the system. Paul Dietzel told an interviewer that his job at LSU got much easier after he brought in good players, which is exactly what Beamer did here under Spurrier. It's easy to be pessimistic until the wins come, but the fact that Beamer is back here gives me a lot of hope for the team this year.
Jason Brown had better numbers in the Spring Game because I have heard that Beamer specifically told Doty not to run. We haven't had a good QB tandem that keeps opposing DCs guessing since Shaw and Thompson. I believe we finally have the chance to have some depth at the QB position with Beamer running the show.
None of you guys put the PK position on your lists. Parker White will be our ace in the hole that wins us some close games this season just like Elliott Fry did.
Yes, Parker is money from 40 yards and in ... and if he can improve on his accuracy from distance he will play on Sundays IMO.
He got bit some by bad snaps/holds, too, some last year. So agonizing to have to watch Collin Hill have pick a shotgun snap off of the ground that threw his timing off so many times as well.
Lack of talent development that was sadly part of Muschamp's tenure here.
I believe improved talent development and game management are the two best things Beamer and his staff will bring to the table this season.