The 2024 College Football season started with Shane Beamer potentially on the hot seat in his 4th season leading the program. By the end of the season, the South Carolina Gamecocks were one of the most fun teams in the Country and an exciting story to follow as the defense was one of the Nation's best and the offense was led by a dynamic quarterback in LaNorris Sellers.
Ultimately, the Gamecocks fell short of their College Football Playoff goal but, the season was a massive success nonetheless. Heading into the 2025 season, the Gamecocks have a great chance of making the Playoff but, these 5 players will need to lead them there.
This offseason, one of the most underrated additions in the Transfer Portal came when the South Carolina Gamecocks added NC State cornerback Brandon Cisse. As a Freshman, Cisse was quietly one of the best cornerbacks in the Country especially down the back half of the season when he started to grow with experience. Cisse will look to lock down some of the best receivers in the Country this season providing the Gamecocks with a difference maker in the back end.
As things currently stand, it's not even a certainty that Rahsul Faison will play College Football in 2025 as he's still awaiting an official decision on whether or not he's eligible for this season. Whether Rahsul Faison plays or not, running back Rocket Sanders leaves behind a massive hole that needs to be filled in this offense as he rushed for 881 yards with 316 yards receiving.
Last season, Faison had a monster season for the Gamecocks, picking up 1,109 yards and 8 touchdowns rushing for Utah State. If Faison can play this season, he's going to have to help fill the shoes of Sanders to help take some of the pressure off of Sellers.
In Nyck Harbor, the South Carolina Gamecocks have one of the best athletes in the Country and this season it'll be all about getting him more involved in the offense. In 2024, Harbor finished second on the team with 26 catches for 376 yards and 3 touchdowns. Harbor has legit track speed and the size to be one of the Countries best wide receivers but, he'll need more touches to make this offense click.
As a True Freshman, Dylan Stewart burst onto the scene and was one of the best pass rushers in the Country racking up 6.5 sacks and 3 forced fumbles. Stewart now has a full season of experience under his belt and he'll need to use it to take a leap otherwise the defense could be in trouble. With Kyle Kennard, Tonka Hemmingway, and T.J. Sanders all off to the NFL, Dylan Stewart is going to need to drive production for this defense.
If the South Carolina Gamecocks are going to accomplish anything in 2025, it starts and ends with their superstar quarterback LaNorris Sellers. Last season, Sellers burst onto the scene completing 65.6% of his passes for 2,534 yards and 18 touchdowns with 7 interceptions while rushing for 674 yards and 7 scores.
In his second season as the starter, the expectation is that LaNorris Sellers will take the next step and while it's not the same exact offense, Mike Shula was hired as the offensive coordinator because of his role in developing Sellers. If Sellers takes the next step, this team can compete for a bid into the College Football Playoff while Sellers taking a step back would likely derail the season.
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