Gamecocks in Nashville for SEC Media Final Day
July 20, 2022 / ALL VIDEOS COURTESY OF USC MEDIA OUTLET
SEC Media Days for 2023 is wrapping up today, and the Gamecocks were one of the final three programs to appear at the Grand Hyatt in downtown Nashville. Head coach Shane Beamer was joined by quarterback Spencer Rattler, defensive tackle Tonka Hemingway and punter Kai Kroeger.
Media around the league continue to be impressed with Beamer, both with how he represents his university and the product he is building. He has taken the Gamecocks to back-to-back bowl games and is 15-11 overall and 7-9 in the SEC after two seasons.
Beamer can count on one of the top quarterbacks in the SEC to lead the offense in Spencer Rattler, and he can also point to an uber-talented receivers room. A running game has to be found and turnovers have to be reduced for the Gamecocks offense to take that next step after averaging 32 points per game last season.
There’s also the question of who will play left tackle, a concern now that expected starter Jaylen Nichols is probably lost for the season after suffering a knee injury in the spring game. Jakia Moore and Sidney Fugar are the top two at the position going into camp.
The defense looks good throughout, though the Gamecocks lost a pair of corners to the NFL Draft. There is strength up front, experience in the middle, and talent on the back end.
Beamer also pointed out that the core of the special teams unit will return, meaning the snapper, holder, and kickers. The Gamecocks have emerged as the model for special teams play in the country with Pete Lembo keeping opponents on edge with his penchant for calling fakes.
That comment could be a nod to a certain prospect who’s about to make a public commitment. Four-star athlete Jonathan Paylor from Burlington, North Carolina has been projected as a USC lean and has the Gamecocks in his top five. He will commit on Aug. 5, according to his Twitter. Or, Beamer’s line could be indication he thinks there’s room for improvement in recruiting North Carolina. (Target Malcolm Ziglar recently opted to stay home and play for UNC.)
INJURY REPORT
Jordan Strachan and Mo Kaba, who tore an ACL against Arkansas last season, maybe a little limited at the beginning of preseason practices coming off surgeries, Beamer said. But they’ll still be able to practice and “everybody should be 100% by Game 1.” South Carolina opens camp on Aug. 4. Beamer has previously said that starting offensive lineman Jaylen Nichols is expected to miss at least the start of the 2023 season after “suffering a pretty significant injury” in the spring game. ‘
SO MUCH NEWNESS,’ BEAMER SAYS
There are 38 new players at South Carolina who weren’t there for the Clemson game last year, Beamer said. Earlier in the day he talked about plans to play true freshmen at every position this season. How does the program’s confidence coming off last year stack up against the uncertainty this year brought about by the Gamecocks’ youth?
Five-star signee Nyck Harbor almost certainly will play immediately at wide receiver, with LaNorris Sellers an intriguing option at quarterback. Sellers has been lauded for the athletic ability he showed off during the spring game. On defense, Desmond Umeolzulu (edge) and Grayson Howard (linebacker) enrolled midyear and are in line to begin their college careers in the rotation at their respective positions.
Beamer identified the offensive and defensive lines as pressure points. The talent is there, he said, but the experience is not. “They’re great players, they’ll be fine,” he said. “The depth isn’t where it needs to be, but that’s been a point of emphasis in recruiting.” When asked if the transfer portal has instilled a bit of urgency in coaches to get recruits immediate playing time for fear of them leaving, Beamer offered two perspectives. One is, yes, there is somewhat of an urgency but “you never want to put a guy out before he’s ready.” The other is that athletes come in now more ready than they used to. “So many of them are graduating high school early, so they’re able to go through spring practice as well,” Beamer said. “It’s not like when I was in college, the freshmen you didn’t show up till a lot of times in July. ... So those times are different, but it’s definitely a lot of balls in the air that you got to consider about whether or not to play early nowadays.” South Carolina begins preseason practice on Aug. 4.
South Carolina football went 4-4 in the SEC last season, which included a stunning 63-38 victory over then-No. 5 Tennessee and a 38-6 defeat at the hands of Florida. The Gamecocks finished third in the East behind eventual national champions Georgia and Tennessee. The SEC will look into different scheduling options for the 2025 season and beyond. Several schools have publicly supported the idea of a nine-game conference schedule, including Florida, Georgia, Texas A&M, LSU, and Missouri. Teams in the SEC currently play an eight-game conference schedule, which includes one game against each division opponent and two cross-divisional games. USC‘s 2023 schedule features tough, high-profile matchups. The Gamecocks’ first conference game this year is against reigning back-to-back national champion Georgia in Athens. A couple of weeks later, South Carolina will travel to Knoxville for a bout with Tennessee.
Rattler was bombarded with questions about his past; about the breakup at OU; how the Sooners might fit when they transition to the league in a year. He didn’t take the bait. He offered a handful of thoughts but kept things largely simple and general with a few scattered clichés. When asked where he’d put himself in the SEC quarterback pecking order, he noted, “Humbly, I feel like I can stack up with anybody in this league quarterback-wise.”
July 20, 2022 / ALL VIDEOS COURTESY OF USC MEDIA OUTLET
SEC Media Days for 2023 is wrapping up today, and the Gamecocks were one of the final three programs to appear at the Grand Hyatt in downtown Nashville. Head coach Shane Beamer was joined by quarterback Spencer Rattler, defensive tackle Tonka Hemingway and punter Kai Kroeger.
Media around the league continue to be impressed with Beamer, both with how he represents his university and the product he is building. He has taken the Gamecocks to back-to-back bowl games and is 15-11 overall and 7-9 in the SEC after two seasons.
Beamer can count on one of the top quarterbacks in the SEC to lead the offense in Spencer Rattler, and he can also point to an uber-talented receivers room. A running game has to be found and turnovers have to be reduced for the Gamecocks offense to take that next step after averaging 32 points per game last season.
There’s also the question of who will play left tackle, a concern now that expected starter Jaylen Nichols is probably lost for the season after suffering a knee injury in the spring game. Jakia Moore and Sidney Fugar are the top two at the position going into camp.
The defense looks good throughout, though the Gamecocks lost a pair of corners to the NFL Draft. There is strength up front, experience in the middle, and talent on the back end.
Beamer also pointed out that the core of the special teams unit will return, meaning the snapper, holder, and kickers. The Gamecocks have emerged as the model for special teams play in the country with Pete Lembo keeping opponents on edge with his penchant for calling fakes.
Shane Beamer drops recruiting hint during SEC Media Days appearance
Beamer recalled the hype around new defensive line coach Travian Robertson as a player. “He was a highly recruited guy out of the state of North Carolina,” Beamer said. “We need more guys in that state to follow his and come across the border south.”That comment could be a nod to a certain prospect who’s about to make a public commitment. Four-star athlete Jonathan Paylor from Burlington, North Carolina has been projected as a USC lean and has the Gamecocks in his top five. He will commit on Aug. 5, according to his Twitter. Or, Beamer’s line could be indication he thinks there’s room for improvement in recruiting North Carolina. (Target Malcolm Ziglar recently opted to stay home and play for UNC.)
Beamer addresses the suspended player’s status with the South Carolina football team
Beamer was asked whether defensive end Monteque Rhames would be part of the program this year, Beamer answered succinctly with, “No.” He did not address and was not specifically asked if there’s a possibility that Rhames would on the roster at any point in the future. Rhames and Anthony Rose were arrested and suspended from the team in February after an alleged on-campus incident involving an AR-15. Rhames who had enrolled as a freshman in January has yet to publicize his future plans, but he has continued to support the Gamecocks on Twitter, as recently as Sunday. Cameron Upshaw, who was suspended at the same time as Rhames and Rose but was a minor at the time of their arrests and not named on either warrant, signed to play at Garden City Community College in Kansas in May.INJURY REPORT
Jordan Strachan and Mo Kaba, who tore an ACL against Arkansas last season, maybe a little limited at the beginning of preseason practices coming off surgeries, Beamer said. But they’ll still be able to practice and “everybody should be 100% by Game 1.” South Carolina opens camp on Aug. 4. Beamer has previously said that starting offensive lineman Jaylen Nichols is expected to miss at least the start of the 2023 season after “suffering a pretty significant injury” in the spring game. ‘
SO MUCH NEWNESS,’ BEAMER SAYS
There are 38 new players at South Carolina who weren’t there for the Clemson game last year, Beamer said. Earlier in the day he talked about plans to play true freshmen at every position this season. How does the program’s confidence coming off last year stack up against the uncertainty this year brought about by the Gamecocks’ youth?
True freshmen will play at every single position per Coach Beamer
That it’s a “hard-working group,” eager to show him and the rest of college football last year’s exciting regular-season end wasn’t a fluke, Beamer told the “SEC This Morning” crew Thursday in Nashville. That eight wins is nowhere near the ceiling. What’s the biggest question mark? “We’re gonna have to play true freshmen at every single position on our football team. And they’re probably going to be – the majority of them or a lot of them are going to be in the two-deep. And it’s, ‘How quickly can these freshmen come along and develop and mature?’” Among the players on offense who could see time include Djay Braswell at running back, a position that’s experienced a lot of turnovers and is in need of depth.Five-star signee Nyck Harbor almost certainly will play immediately at wide receiver, with LaNorris Sellers an intriguing option at quarterback. Sellers has been lauded for the athletic ability he showed off during the spring game. On defense, Desmond Umeolzulu (edge) and Grayson Howard (linebacker) enrolled midyear and are in line to begin their college careers in the rotation at their respective positions.
Beamer identified the offensive and defensive lines as pressure points. The talent is there, he said, but the experience is not. “They’re great players, they’ll be fine,” he said. “The depth isn’t where it needs to be, but that’s been a point of emphasis in recruiting.” When asked if the transfer portal has instilled a bit of urgency in coaches to get recruits immediate playing time for fear of them leaving, Beamer offered two perspectives. One is, yes, there is somewhat of an urgency but “you never want to put a guy out before he’s ready.” The other is that athletes come in now more ready than they used to. “So many of them are graduating high school early, so they’re able to go through spring practice as well,” Beamer said. “It’s not like when I was in college, the freshmen you didn’t show up till a lot of times in July. ... So those times are different, but it’s definitely a lot of balls in the air that you got to consider about whether or not to play early nowadays.” South Carolina begins preseason practice on Aug. 4.
Beamer shares thoughts on division less 2024 SEC schedule
“It’s weird, I’ll be honest with you,” Beamer said Thursday at SEC Media Days in Nashville when asked about the 2024 schedule. “I mean, you know when you have expansion there’s 16 teams in the league that you’re not gonna be able to play everybody. For as long as I can remember, South Carolina played those teams. So to not be playing them is weird. It’s part of it, but I look at it as an opportunity to play other teams and go visit places and schools that we haven’t been to in a long time or ever.”South Carolina football went 4-4 in the SEC last season, which included a stunning 63-38 victory over then-No. 5 Tennessee and a 38-6 defeat at the hands of Florida. The Gamecocks finished third in the East behind eventual national champions Georgia and Tennessee. The SEC will look into different scheduling options for the 2025 season and beyond. Several schools have publicly supported the idea of a nine-game conference schedule, including Florida, Georgia, Texas A&M, LSU, and Missouri. Teams in the SEC currently play an eight-game conference schedule, which includes one game against each division opponent and two cross-divisional games. USC‘s 2023 schedule features tough, high-profile matchups. The Gamecocks’ first conference game this year is against reigning back-to-back national champion Georgia in Athens. A couple of weeks later, South Carolina will travel to Knoxville for a bout with Tennessee.
Video: Spencer Rattler Media Availability 07/20/23
Yes, Rattler returned and he’s back in the middle of the college football universe. He’s the face of South Carolina’s program on the rise and a man who commanded a crowd of media members Thursday that ballooned to seven or eight people deep in spots. What all this means is difficult to say in real-time. However, Thursday functioned as a reintroduction of Rattler to the league at large albeit a more mature, humbler, and more easygoing variation of the well-traveled gunslinger quarterback.Rattler was bombarded with questions about his past; about the breakup at OU; how the Sooners might fit when they transition to the league in a year. He didn’t take the bait. He offered a handful of thoughts but kept things largely simple and general with a few scattered clichés. When asked where he’d put himself in the SEC quarterback pecking order, he noted, “Humbly, I feel like I can stack up with anybody in this league quarterback-wise.”
