Assessing the final South Carolina position battles

We’re in the endgame now as the countdown to the start of a new South Carolina football season is into the single digits.

But that doesn’t mean the depth chart is set and it doesn’t mean the position battles are complete.

To a certain extent, many of the position competitions that are close will likely carry on into the season, particularly if there are issues with how the winners of those perform on gameday.

At the very least, though, the finish line is in sight for those hoping to earn a start in Game 1 against North Carolina.

Earlier this week, head coach Shane Beamer met with the media and during that press conference he ran down some of the position battles that are still ongoing as the regular season approaches. We’ll break those down below.

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Both offensive tackle spots

Jakai Moore opened camp as seemingly the favorite to start at left tackle but now the question is, will Moore play there or at left guard?

Beamer said that Moore will likely be a starter somewhere.

Essentially, he’s in a battle with Charlotte transfer Jaxon Hughes at left tackle and Trai Jones at guard. Or, in other words, the staff is looking at which combination gives them the best overall group. Vershon Lee and Nick Gargiulo are locked in as the other two starters on the interior and Gargiulo can play either guard spot. Freshman Tree Babalade has gotten a lot of reps with the twos at left tackle.

At right tackle, there’s also a big battle with Sidney Fugar, Cason Henry and Tyshawn Wannamaker all fighting for the first start and all three have gotten reps with the first team. Fugar also spent the spring at left tackle, so there’s always the chance that he slides back to the other side.

On the left side, it feels like this is trending towards Hughes getting the first shot, while on the right side, I wouldn’t be surprised if all three of those guys got their chances at some point this season.

We’ll keep digging in the coming days on where this one is headed in terms of Week 1 starters.

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Backup receivers

Assuming everyone is healthy, the starters for South Carolina are set with Juice Wells, Ahmarean Brown, and Xavier Legette rolling out there in a three-receiver set.

It’s behind them where things are not only unsettled but Beamer also admitted he wished things were a little further along.

O’Mega Blake has generated some well-deserved hype for taking a step forward this camp but the staff would still like to see him get more consistent. Still, it seems pretty likely he’d be one of the next men up with that second group.

Memphis transfer Eddie Lewis joined the team in the spring with the potential to push for a starting spot but that hasn’t happened to this point. Lewis, who is also in the mix at punt returner, is capable of playing in the slot or on the outside and that should get him on the field in the rotation, though it’s been a somewhat quiet preseason for him.

Beamer warned that there would likely be some “ORs” on the depth chart at receiver and we’d guess that those will be in between the second and third group.

Call it an educated guess but it seems like Payton Mangrum would likely round out the second group but if there are six total backups listed then Nyck Harbor, Elijah Caldwell, Joseph Morris, Tyshawn Russell, Landon Samson and Eriq Rice would all potentially be in the mix to be listed.

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Running back rotation

Dakereon Joyner has earned the starting position but there’s plenty of competition behind him and this unit could be deeper than expected if they can avoid big injuries.

Who is next up behind Joyner? If the Gamecocks go with experience then it’s clearly Juju McDowell but Mario Anderson has provided a tough-nosed, grinder to the room. And DJay Braswell might be the most naturally talented of the bunch. If they can ease him in early, then he could potentially take over as one of the top threats as the year progresses.

If there are injuries, then freshman quarterback-turned-tight-end-recruit-turned-running-back Kam Sandlin would enter the mix.

If history is any indication, then this will be an ongoing battle with the rotation shifting as the season continues. And unlike the offensive line, where coaches want the group to gel together, it’s a position where it’s easy to just go with the hot hand.

Backup defensive tackles

This was a little bit of a surprise considering that South Carolina has Tonka Hemingway, Boogie Huntley, T.J. Sanders, and Nick Barrett all as solid options in the rotation on the interior.

Now, that depth takes a little bit of a hit the moment South Carolina decides it wants to play Hemingway or Sanders at end, something each has done in the past.

Regardless, this group should be a strength.

An educated guess but Beamer may be speaking on the guys past this group as he’s maybe intrigued to see how quickly talented newcomers like Elijah Davis and Xzavier McLeod can continue to come along. If those two can take meaningful snaps, then it’s arguably the deepest group on the team.

Beamer didn’t mention the EDGE spot but there’s probably still a competition going on there opposite Jordan Strachan.

Backup cornerbacks

Marcellas Dial and O’Donnell Fortune are locked in as starters but competition behind them is still ongoing.

Emory Floyd was next man up during an open viewing window of practice which is at the very least something to take note of.

Judge Collier, a freshman early enrollee who wasn’t highly recruited but had a solid spring, has continued to get some second-team reps.

Vicari Swain is a super-talented athlete who is making the switch to cornerback after playing receiver, safety and special teams in high school. All of those guys will be in the mix for playing time.

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