Gamecock Digest

Examining South Carolina's Revitalized Offense

With multiple departures of high-impact players and the addition of more weapons, South Carolina's offense has a slightly new look which we will examine.

Christian Dart

Examining South Carolina's Revitalized Offense
Examining South Carolina's Revitalized Offense /

Coming into the off-season, there was cause for concern surrounding South Carolina's offense and the departure of multiple high-impact players. Though it is a reality in the new age of college football, every program lost high-impact players this off-season, and South Carolina was no stranger to that. Luckily, South Carolina was very active in the transfer portal and recuperated their losses. With many former Gamecocks in different places for the 2023 season and plenty of new talent heading to Columbia

Running Back

Though there wasn't a lot of outward traffic at the RB position besides Rashad Amos transferring to Miami (OH), MarShawn Lloyd departing to USC, and Christian Beal-Smith running out of eligibility, the Gamecocks did acquire an intriguing player in Mario Anderson Jr. The former Newberry College RB set numerous DII records before transferring to South Carolina.

It is expected that the Gamecocks will approach the 2023 season with a running back committee comprised predominantly of Anderson and Juju McDowell. While both have yet to carry a large workload at the SEC level, the talent between the duo should compensate for their lack of experience.

Wide Receiver

Out of receiver, running back, and tight end, the wide receiver position was left the most unscathed in the off-season. The only losses at the position came from Corey Rucker, who transferred to Arkansas State, and Josh Vann and Jalen Brooks, who both ran out of eligibility. The Gamecocks were able to hold onto Dakereon Joyner, Xavier Legette, Ahmarean Brown, and Antwane Wells. Being able to retain a core of four receivers who received significant playing time in 2022 seems like a thing of the past, yet South Carolina was able to pull it off.

Though the returning cast of receivers is already impressive in its own right, South Carolina's activity in the transfer portal added a stockpile of talented pass-catchers to the roster. Shane Beamer and company hauled in Joshua Simon from Western Kentucky, an intriguing WR/TE hybrid. The 6'4 235 pound receiver was perhaps the most talented and fascinating pass-catcher in the portal this off-season and could be deadly when paired with Wells. If Simon wasn't enough, South Carolina added former Memphis WR and current deep-ball threat Eddie Lewis to the squad earlier this week. Lewis has impressive speed and punt-returning ability, making him a dangerous chunk-play threat.

Tight End

Easily the most affected position out of the three, South Carolina saw an overwhelming amount of talent leave the roster this off-season. With Nate Adkins running out of eligibility and Jaheim Bell and Austin Stogner departing to other programs, South Carolina was effectively out of scholarship tight ends. Despite being in a hole at the position, South Carolina snagged two SEC tight ends who are expected to be thrust right into pivotal roles for the team.

One of the two TEs is Nick Elksnis, a redshirt sophomore from Florida. Though Elksnis is yet to see any game time, the 6'6 tight end was one of the nation's top tight ends out of high school and still holds a lot of potential. The other TE transfer is Trey Knox. Knox, a senior TE from Arkansas, is a much more proven weapon for the Gamecocks. Over his four-year collegiate career, Knox has accrued nearly 900 receiving yards and nine touchdowns. Those stats are underwhelming for Knox's potential, which is hopefully awakened by the Gamecocks' offense.

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Christian Dart
CHRISTIAN DART

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