Latest on South Carolina’s RB room

South Carolina’s running back corps was due for a revamp after the 2023 season, and a bevy of offseason moves has that room looking much different than last season.

GamecockCentral.com has more insight for its members on how a group with heightened expectations looks with the season opener 16 days away.

Preseason camp certainly carries a different feel in 2024 than last season, when USC was essentially hoping for a successful transition for Dakereon Joyner to running back, Mario Anderson from Division II to the SEC, and Djay Braswell from high school to college football. JuJu McDowell was really the only known commodity heading into the season.

Fast forward to preseason camp, and South Carolina’s added legitimate college production to the room.

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It’s led by Rocket Sanders, the former 1,400-yard rusher at Arkansas who went for 156 yards and 2 touchdowns against the Gamecocks in 2022. The great thing about acquiring Sanders from the transfer portal is that one does not have to imagine whether or not he could be successful at this level; he’s done it before. The only real question coming in was his health after at least a couple of injuries he dealt with last season.

Things have looked very good on that front, with Sanders attacking his offseason rehab and workouts after shoulder surgery. Shane Beamer says he is 100 percent and that the staff has had to slow him down. Quarterback Robby Ashford has called his progress “insane to see.”

While Sanders has the look of a potential bellcow in the running game, it was critical for South Carolina to add more depth at this position, too.

Oscar Adaway has played a lot of college ball at North Texas and was a productive player in the run and pass game. Jawarn Howell, the transfer from SC State, is still a young player but has a great blend of size and athleticism. He averaged almost 8 yards per rush attempt in 2023. Sources have seemed happy with their progress and frequently speak highly of Howell’s upside.

JuJu McDowell is also back and seems healthy after breaking his collar bone late in the 2023 campaign. He could provide value here.

Interestingly, a four-star freshman has flown somewhat under the radar. Perhaps it’s because Matthew Fuller was “just” a three-star prospect with a moderate offer list at the time of his initial commitment to the Gamecocks.

He rushed for 1,800 yards and 24 touchdowns as a high school senior, and On3 bumped him up to the number 186 overall prospect in the country. Georgia Tech (now doing huge things in the NIL space) made a big push, but South Carolina held onto him.

Shane Beamer said last weekend that Fuller “didn’t look like a freshman” right after the team’s first preseason scrimmage, and we’ve had sources echo similar sentiments to us.

In addition to upgraded personnel, there are some other things to consider when it comes to the run game: could the offensive line take enough of a step forward this year to help the backs with yards before contact? What about the presence of Sellers, who gives the defense another ball-carrier to account for in the run game?

The ideal scenario is for all these pieces to work in tandem to give South Carolina a much improved run game in 2024.

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