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Starting Gamecock O-lineman suffers ‘pretty significant injury

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Starting Gamecock O-lineman suffers ‘a pretty significant injury

May 03, 2023

A starting South Carolina football offensive lineman is expected to miss the start of the 2023 season after “suffering a pretty significant injury” in the Garnet and Black spring game. As head coach Shane Beamer confirmed during a press conference on Tuesday, Gamecock offensive lineman Jaylen Nichols will likely be some of the 2023 season. “He won’t be ready for the beginning of the season,” Beamer said. “Optimistic that the recovery process will go well and we’ll get him back hopefully before the season ends.” Nichols, a fifth-year lineman from Charlotte, appeared in 12 games with seven starts for South Carolina last season at left tackle and was expected to help anchor the Gamecocks offensive line in 2023.

The veteran player left the spring game at Williams-Brice Stadium with what Beamer deemed then as a “lower-body injury” in the first quarter. Beamer didn’t go into specifics Tuesday on the nature of Nichols’ injury. Nichols’ left knee appeared to buckle during a pass-blocking snap and trainers applied ice to the area on the sidelines after he exited the game. He didn’t return to the contest, which the Black team ultimately won 19-17 over the Garnet team on running back D.J. Twitty’s game-winning two-point conversion. Nichols signed with South Carolina as a three-star recruit in the Class of 2019 out of Myers Park High School. He’s appeared in 37 career games for USC with 18 career starts (with 14 of those coming over the past two seasons at left guard and left tackle). South Carolina is in the process of replacing two starters on the offensive line from last year in guard Jovaughn Gwyn and center Eric Douglas, along with veteran Dylan Wonnum.
 
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