Ranking the position groups for South Carolina football

Members of the South Carolina football program are now back in Columbia, beginning workouts to prepare for the 2024 season.

Now that spring practice is over and summer is upon us, GamecockCentral.com takes a position-by-position look at the Gamecocks and the strongest positions on the roster.

Defensive Tackle

This one and number two seem pretty close, but the interior defensive line gets the nod here.

This position contains four seniors/graduates and also a guy in TJ Sanders who could end up being a fairly high NFL Draft pick after the season.

There’s a lot of experience between Sanders, Tonka Hemingway, Boogie Huntley, and Nick Barrett. Add in DeAndre Jules – another NFL level player – and others, and there’s some depth and talent at this spot.

Linebacker

Another spot that has ample experience, and a spot where Gamecocks fans are thrilled to see it. South Carolina recruited a couple talented freshmen that could see the field, but there are a lot of past snaps in this group.

There are four seniors who will either start or play heavy roles in the rotation here between Debo Williams, Bam Martin-Scott, Demetrius Knight, and Bangally Kamara.

Running Back

Could South Carolina’s work in the portal turn this position into one of the team’s biggest questions into one of the best in the program?

Adding a past 1,400 yard rusher in Rocket Sanders could make the answer to that question a ‘yes.’

USC also has a couple more productive players from the portal, DJ Braswell is back, and another former four-star is on campus now in Matthew Fuller.

Quarterback

This is one of the most unproven positions on the roster, sure.

It’s also one of the highest upside positions because of just how talented the starter – LaNorris Sellers – is.

It would not be a shock if this position was higher by year’s end. The lack of starting experience for Sellers prevents it from being such, so this is a best of a projection.

The ability is too much to ignore.

Tight End

Most of the positions in the top five on this team feature plenty of returning experience. Tight end is the same with Josh Simon and transfer Brady Hunt leading the charge.

Beyond that “top two”, South Carolina also has Connor Cox, Nick Elsknis, Reid Mikeska, and talented freshman Michael Smith. More than one of those will factor in prominently on special teams, too.

EDGE

This is another spot in which the Gamecocks had serious questions in 2023. This offseason, the staff did some work to address it.

Five-star freshman Dylan Stewart has very much looked the part so far. There are returners who are a year better (JT Geer, Brian Thomas Jr., Desmond Umeozulu, and Elijah Davis). Add in two transfers in Gilber Edmond and Kyle Kennard, and there’s now some depth at this position.

Defensive Back

The starters at safety and nickel seem fairly set, but USC will need to develop some depth there.

One corner spot seems up for grab, but there are numerous candidates to fill it and possibly fill it well. This seems a little low for this position, but some others just seem a little better and a bit more productive heading into 2024.

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Wide Receiver

This is a position that could end up making this observer look silly for having it so low before the season.

That’s especially the case because several of the five transfers have caught lots of passes during their college careers.

It’s not clear yet whether or not the Gamecocks have an SEC “number one” wideout or if this will be more of a by committee approach. There may not be a Xavier Legette type on this roster, but there’s definitely more depth than last season from top to bottom.

Offensive Line

Right off the bat, let’s say this group has a chance to be markedly improved from last season. If you’re among those taking a “prove it” approach to the group, that’s fair. There are position battles going on and Shane Beamer has been clear that he’d like to increase the depth a bit.

USC will need to stay healthy here as a baseline. The staff has recruited quite well the last couple cycles at this position and some of that young talent got thrown in the fire early in 2023. That will serve those players well. There are probably just more questions here than many other positions that need to be answered before moving them up in the pecking order.

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