Insider Report: Team scoop after first scrimmage weekend
The first scrimmage of the preseason is in the books, and South Carolina football has now completed nine practices. How are things going so far, and what are we hearing about the progress of the program?
We have more for GamecockCentral.com members here.
Today’s Insider Report is brought to you by Post Up Careers! Did you know that you have about 6 seconds to make an impression on a hiring manager when applying for a job? And that your resume is the marketing piece that you must make sure is up to date, highlights your skills and achievements, and will get you past applicant tracking systems?
Post Up Careers can guide you through this process with their customized resume services. Get personalized coaching to up your game in the job market with Post Up Careers, a company whose mission is to help you navigate all aspects of your career: resume writing, interview preparation, LinkedIn optimization, and much more. Make your talents stand out with the help of a company owned by a lifelong Gamecocks fan and alumnus – visit PostUpCareers.com or email franklin@postupcareers.com today.
— Sunday represented our final opportunity to watch the team practice before the home opener on August 31.
Here are some insights from that session.
The team also had the first scrimmage of the preseason inside Williams-Brice Stadium on Saturday. In case you missed it, Mike Uva had some good stuff on what he heard from the scrimmage in this report.
— During Saturday’s scrimmage, the quarterbacks were not live. That’s an important distinction to make, because it does eliminate a big part of the game on offense for LaNorris Sellers and Robby Ashford. It also takes away sacks for the defense. We were told that in a real game setting, there would have been plays made on both sides of the ball in this front.
— I’ll echo Mike in saying that the defense was ahead of the offense in this particular scrimmage. That’s not a surprise and something that would have been fair to predict going into it.
— Shane Beamer mentioned after the scrimmage on Saturday that the offense had some “self-inflicted things” and drives that the offense couldn’t finish. Among them, we heard that there was a long pass that would have been a touchdown that wasn’t hauled in.
— On the receiving front, we once again heard that true freshman Mazeo Bennett looked good. He’s bene very consistent since arriving in January and has only strengthened his momentum from spring until now. As it’s described to us, he’s a very good route runner and seems to catch everything, even if it’s not an ideal ball.
Transfer receiver Vandrevius Jacobs did not play in the scrimmage but was back out at practice the following day. He’s one of the many players auditioning as a punt returner and was seen making some plays in the one-on-ones as well.
From what we hear, Jacobs has immediately come in and established himself as a huge factor in the competition for playing time at receiver. As of right now, he’s going to play a lot and could potentially be a starter.
— We also heard that former four-star Michael Fuller, a freshman, “doesn’t look like a freshman”, which is exactly what Beamer said on Saturday.
He had some tough runs during the scrimmage and really looked the part out there.
— Another player that Beamer mentioned after the scrimmage had South Carolina fans buzzing on Monday: true freshman Michael Smith.
When he was being recruited in the 2024 class, some folks described him to us as a “freak”. We got to see him at the Gamecocks’ prospect camp after he committed and he was impressive with his size, athleticism, and receiver-like ball skills.
Safe to say he’s been impressing a lot in camp. He caught a touchdown in the scrimmage and beat Nick Emmanwori in the red zone one-on-one work during the open period on Sunday. He has big potential, but he may be hard to keep off the field this season as well.
— We heard that LaNorris Sellers, Robby Ashford, and Davis Beville all had some positive moments on Saturday. It was reiterated that Sellers just looks very cool and comfortable when he’s out there leading the team.
— It’s anticipated that the front six-seven will be the Gamecocks’ strength on defense this season, and we heard that several players in that group flashed with plays during the scrimmage on Saturday.
In his report, Mike Uva singled out Debo Williams, Bryan Thomas Jr., T.J. Sanders, Kyle Kennard, and Dylan Stewart.
Discuss South Carolina football on The Insiders Forum!
The post Insider Report: Team scoop after first scrimmage weekend appeared first on On3.
