Storylines before South Carolina heads to Media Days next week

It’s almost that time for South Carolina football where optimism reigns supreme and every team feels like it has a chance to make the playoff run.

The Gamecocks are just a few weeks away from beginning training camp. But even sooner will Shane Beamer and a trio of players head to Nashville for SEC Media Days. 

This is a very interesting year for South Carolina coming off a strong finish to the 2022 campaign, and here are the biggest storylines to watch before the Gamecocks take the stage July 20. 

Who South Carolina sends

Shane Beamer has made it a point to reward upperclassmen and people who have been in the program for a year or two, most notably not sending Spencer Rattler last season to Media Days. 

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Beamer typically picks guys who are leaders or impact guys on paper for the upcoming season. And the players he sends usually sends a message about who has stepped up as a leader this season. 

So sending guys like Rattler, Tonka Hemingway and Kai Kroeger speaks to not only Beamer rewarding three seniors but also their roles as leaders on this year’s team.

Feedback on the offense

South Carolina is breaking in a new offensive coordinator in Dowell Loggains. And Nashville will be the first time to update things really since the spring. 

The Gamecocks haven’t done a ton offensively, obviously, in summer workouts. But they have had a few more weeks to marinate in what Loggains is trying to do. 

Beamer and players will undoubtedly be asked about what progress the offense has made over the course of the summer. How they answer will be interesting about what the Gamecocks could look like on that side of the ball. 

How positive will the newcomer, injury updates be?

This is the first time since the end of spring to hear about the progress of guys like Tonka Hemingway, Mo Kaba and Jordan Strachan. Plus a few other guys who were banged up in the spring. 

It’s also the first time Beamer’s addressed the media since South Carolina’s entire team reported to campus in late May. So this will then be his first time being able to talk about some of those guys after seeing them move around this summer. 

In reality, there’s not a ton to glean over the course of summer workouts. But hearing initial reports on guys like Nyck Harbor, Vicari Swain and a few offensive linemen will be informative. 

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Where South Carolina falls in preseason predictions

The Gamecocks have certainly overachieved based on preseason win totals in each of the last two seasons. But now that there’s some stability, where will the league’s media put the Gamecocks in the division?

Georgia will be the overwhelming favorite to be picked No. 1, and rightfully so, but there’s a vacuum after that. South Carolina could reasonably be picked anywhere from second to fifth. 

It’s not the be-all and end-all in any way, shape or form. But where the Gamecocks are slotted gives a little bit of an indication of how the outside views the program entering year three. 

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