What Jakai Moore's Potential Move Inside Could Signal For South Carolina

Jakai Moore took some practice reps on the interior of the o-line for South Carolina's Football team last week, which indicate the thought process of the staff.

Less than two weeks from the beginning of the 2023 football season, Shane Beamer and South Carolina's Football staff are still trying to figure out their starting lineup along the offensive line. The offensive line has long been considered the unit that could make or break this offense's potential this upcoming Fall, and efforts to figure out a starting group have involved a lot of experimentation, moving certain guys around to different spots.

Last week was no different in this manner, as offensive tackles Jaxon Hughes and Cason Henry, making their returns from offseason procedures, both saw reps with the first-team offensive line in the open portion of last Thursday's practice. Another intriguing change in the first-team o-line for this practice was Nick Gargiulo repping at right guard, a position that Gargiulo has taken reps at during Fall camp but not in the open portions of practice until late last week.

This combination of moves could be a nothing burger, or it could indicate that we might need to recalibrate our expectations for what the starting o-line could look like when the Gamecocks take on the Tar Heels on Sept. 2nd. If Jaxon Hughes wins the starting left tackle spot, this could bump Jakai Moore, the most experienced lineman out of the group regarding SEC play, to left guard and subsequently move Nick Gargiulo to right guard.

This could also convey that South Carolina's offensive coaching staff is prioritizing pass protection upfront, which is the noted strength of both Moore and Gargiulo. This would make sense, as it's been strongly suggested by Beamer and his staff that South Carolina will be airing the ball out more on offense in 2023.

This doesn't mean, of course, that we should write off a guy like Trai Jones at right guard, who's been described by Lonnie Teasley as the strongest pound-for-pound offensive lineman on the roster. It does mean, however, that we should keep all options open regarding the Gamecocks' future plans for the offensive line.

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