Five reasons for concern heading into 2023
Year three at South Carolina is a big one for Shane Beamer.
After the Gamecocks out-performed outside expectations the last two seasons, South Carolina is trying to build on a very successful 2022 with plenty to be excited for this season but reasons for pause.
We already covered five reasons for optimism in 2023, but here are five reasons for concern heading into the season.
Questions on the line of scrimmages
The Gamecocks are replacing a ton of starts on the offensive line from last year–Eric Douglas, Jovaughn Gwyn, Dylan Wonnum and Jaylen Nichols, who is hurt–plus production on the defensive line like Zacch Pickens, Gilber Edmond and Jordan Burch.
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There are pieces South Carolina has to work with like Tonka Hemingway, Boogie Huntley, Jordan Strachan and others plus young talent up front. But how those lines play is somewhat unknown, especially on the offensive side.
The SEC is a line of scrimmage league and if the Gamecocks struggle on either side it could lead to the offense bogging down or the rush defense struggling again in 2023.
Those two groups could certainly coalesce and play really well, but it’s a bit of a concern right now without a sample to evaluate.
Depth concerns at integral spots
Running back is one–and we’ll get to that–but South Carolina has concerns depth-wise at EDGE and there isn’t a ton of proven skill talent at receiver behind Juice Wells, Ahmarean Brown and Xavier Legette.
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The Gamecocks have to established transfers at tight end in Trey Knox and Josh Simon but not a ton of proven talent there with Nick Elksnis and two freshmen.
Then at corner, South Carolina is going to start two veterans at corner in Marcellas Dial and OD Fortune but the guys behind both are younger, albeit talented, players. The Gamecocks have talent, but depth might be an issue.
If South Carolina has a few injuries at certain spots there could be a few growing pains because of it.
Unproven commodities in run game
South Carolina loses three of its top four rushers from last season without a proven back in the SEC on the roster. MarShawn Lloyd and Jaheim Bell went into the portal while Christian Beal-Smith ran out of eligibility.
Juju McDowell was the team’s third-best rusher last season with 219 yards (3.5 yards/carry) and two touchdowns. He can certainly be a piece for South Carolina but he hasn’t been a 15-to-20 carries a game back yet.
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Dakereon Joyner is the team’s starter but has never played running back at the SEC level. Returns have been excellent from South Carolina camp, but he still hasn’t done it fully in a game. There are two newcomers who will have a role in Mario Anderson–who rushed for over 1,500 yards and 19 touchdowns for Newberry–and four-star freshman Djay Braswell.
It’s possible four weeks into the season this position isn’t a concern, but without the proven track record, it’s still a question mark.
Turnovers, turnovers and turnovers
Both offensively and defensively here. The Gamecocks have turned the ball over far too much since Beamer took over. Last season South Carolina finished dead last in the SEC with 27 turnovers lost (13 fumbles, 14 picks). That desperately needs to improve.
That certainly can–and reports have been good from camp–but it’s a concern until South Carolina does it on the field.
Defensively, the Gamecocks have done well getting the ball off opponents; they ranked best in the league with 23 takeaways last year. That was one of the big reasons they were able to swing games at times in 2022.
But turnovers on an annual basis can be random and fluctuate heavily. So if the turnovers are the same as in 2022, the defense needs to improve in other areas.
Relying heavily on freshman
The good news is South Carolina inked what the coaches feel can be a very impactful 2023 recruiting class. They feel like it’s a class that can provide plenty of multi-year starters and integral pieces not only this year but in the years to come.
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The bad news is it can be hard to maintain consistency when relying heavily on first-year college players. Shane Beamer has maintained the Gamecocks will play–and potentially start–a freshman at nearly every single position.
South Carolina will get those guys valuable snaps, but having to play a ton of new players could mean there are growing pains at a few spots on both sides of the ball.
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