Carolina Confidential – Summer football team scoop
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South Carolina is one month into its summer workout program as Gamecocks football inches closer to preseason camp.
Below are some notes I’ve picked up on throughout the last month or so.
— I don’t have a whole lot new that you haven’t already heard about LaNorris Sellers but everyone loves to hear about quarterbacks so will just reiterate that he appears to be doing all the things he’s supposed to be. He’s a consistent worker with superstar potential.
In terms of a walk-on who deserves some love, I’ve heard quarterback Davis Beville‘s name come up a couple of times this spring as someone the staff has been happy with. I get the impression he’s doing everything asked of him.
— Don’t let the buzz surrounding Rocket Sanders and Oscar Adaway III completely overshadow Jawarn Howell. Howell has added some good weight/strength since arriving on campus and after taking advantage of getting extra reps this spring due to injuries to others, Howell has created some buzz from the player-run-practices this summer too. He’s got a bright future in this program but I get the impression he’s going to potentially help more and sooner than expected.
— I hope to have more on the wide receivers in this space later in the summer. I did ask around about Dalevon Campbell, the Nevada transfer who recently arrived on campus, and was told that he certainly “looks the part” physically.
— I still don’t have a solid feel for how the offensive line is going to play out in terms of who plays where but I do believe there are far more potential “answers” at the position than last year.
I’m not going to go through the entire offensive line so don’t take the presence or absence of anyone on this list to mean anything other than that I’ve heard something noteworthy about those featured below.
One big positive note to pass along from the summer is that Josiah Thompson has continued to put on good weight, and really the biggest thing holding him back from being ready to be the left tackle was the question of how much strength and weight he could tack on. Thompson has been listed at 300 pounds officially but realistically was more in the 285-pound range towards the beginning of the spring and as of a couple of weeks ago is now up to 292-293 pounds.
He’s always been a worker and has the frame to continue to add weight, so with more time to get in the weight room prior to the season, he could potentially be at 300 pounds before preseason starts.
If Thompson keeps pushing, that could all Tree Babalade to potentially play another spot. From what I’m told the staff has been happy with the progress of both Babalade and Trovon Baugh, the two second-year players who were thrown into action last year, and it’s just all about both players continuing to take a step forward as they’re pushed by others.
Jakai Moore and Vershon Lee, the two veterans of the group, have taken on leadership and ownership of the room. Moore has dropped some weight since the offseason began and has been heavily focused on managing his body after missing time off and on due to injures during his career. Moore is a swing man who can play guard or tackle.
He didn’t come in with as much fanfare as some others but Shane Beamer praised Torricelli Simpkins III during the Welcome Home Tour and one source said “man that guy’s going to be hard to keep off the field.” Simpkins is one of those types who does all the little things right, which coaches love. He’s also got a lot of experience playing center (smart kid who gets the big picture) though at last look it appeared more likely he’d be a guard this year (though he can do both).
Back to the tackle front, I was reminded that the staff has been high on right tackle Cason Henry since they nearly pulled his redshirt as a true freshman. He’s got leadership traits too and is going to be difficult to unseat at right tackle.
The wildcard of the entire bunch remains Markee Anderson, who redshirted last year because of injury and then missed time this spring too. Simply put, if he can get back to his old self, he’s eventually going to take reps from someone. The early buzz was that he’s just that good.
Obviously, not everyone can start and some guys will be left out which is a good thing in terms of competition.
— Five-star EDGE signee Dylan Stewart has been everything the staff thought he would be and possibly more. From what I’ve been told, Stewart steadily progressed throughout spring practice and by the end looked at times to already be one of the best players on the South Carolina defense. That certainly appeared to be the case in the spring game and from what I’m told the explosive, disruptive player you saw in that game is the exact one that coaches saw in practice.
As a recruit, there was never a doubt about Stewart’s physical ability and one source at the time thought he might physically be the top prospect in the 2024 class. When you’re talking about five-star prospects, you’re really splitting hairs when trying to determine the right order but generally speaking, the industry has gotten very good at determining who has the talent to be a five-star — whether or not those prospects pan out usually comes down to things like work ethic, determination, character, and injury luck. Since arriving on campus, Stewart has checked all the boxes, already proving to be a great competitor and driven worker.
— I remain confident that South Carolina is going to be both deep and effective at the linebacker position.
On top of returning Debo Williams, Bam Martin-Scott is back and appeared to prove this spring that he can not only excel at the SAM backer spot when Carolina is in the 3-3-5 — the role he was in late last season — but that he also can play alongside Williams in the 4-2-5.
Martin-Scott is one of the most physically impressive players on the team. At 6-foot-3, 240-pounds and being measured as fast as 22 mph, Martin-Scott could be in a position to quickly move up NFL Draft boards this year if he has the final season he’s capable of, once the word starts getting out about him. Martin-Scott is the self-proclaimed fastest player in the group but he’s got some competition for that title.
Demetrius Knight Jr. has also put down some blazing times both in the 40 and on the Catapult GPS system that tracks speed. Knight, who is both a husband and father, has brought additional maturity and leadership to that room. He’s a physical specimen on the field but is also genuinely one of the nicest people you’ll ever meet off of it making for a great culture fit. Knight impressed the staff this spring and there’s some NFL Draft buzz for him as well. I think there’s a good chance he would be the starting MIKE alongside Martin-Scott and Williams in the 3-3-5, though Carolina has some position versatility with the LB group.
If there’s a newcomer that hasn’t been talked about enough, it’s freshman linebacker Fred JayR Johnson. We did report earlier in the offseason that he has created some buzz since arriving on campus but it may be time to raise the expectations even more. Johnson has already grown to 240-pounds at 6-foot-4 and athletically appears to be on par with Martin-Scott and Knight.
Given the depth of upperclassmen at linebacker, it’s not necessarily a position a freshman will need to play but based on the level of buzz I’ve heard about Johnson, I don’t know that they’re going to be able to keep him off the field. A former high school wide receiver at one time, Johnson has the athleticism to run sideline to sideline and cover down field and the length to rush off the edge. I don’t want to get too far ahead of ourselves but there are some early signs he could be a future star.
Additionally, I’ve heard some positive feedback recently on the progress of Mo Kaba as he returns from a third major knee injury. I expect the staff will try to manage his rep count but he’s on pace and there are positive signs there.
With the additions of Bangally Kamara and Wendell Gregory (the staff is high on both as well) to the unit this spring along with everyone else mentioned in this section, I expect there to be a lot of rotation at the position compared to recent years and fierce competition for starting duties.
— As was reported in the spring, freshman summer enrollee Jalewis Solomon is still expected to start his career at cornerback.
— South Carolina is currently at 84 scholarships which means there’s a good chance a current walk-on could go on scholarship.
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