Bounce Back Year for the Gamecocks

Following a disappointing season, it’s no secret that 2024 will be a pivotal year for the South Carolina Program. As the SEC grows and gets more competitive, the Gamecocks will have to prove it’s a destination where players can have a chance to compete for conference titles during their career. In this article, I’ll share three things the Gamecocks must do in 2024 to bounce back and get back on track this season.

Establish an Identity:

Creating an identity starts with thorough self-scouting that results in a strategy built on showcasing strengths and mitigating weaknesses in all areas.

Offensively, the Gamecocks will be built around promising redshirt freshman LaNorris Sellers. A dual-threat quarterback, Sellers is run-first at this phase in his career and should complement a revamped running back group led by transfers Rocket Sanders and Oscar Adaway. 

On the perimeter, all eyes will be on Nyck Harbor who is one of the most discussed players across the country this offseason. Harbor is an athletic specimen who has the size and speed of an elite NFL receiver. The coaches have to get creative and build a plan to utilize Harbor’s unique skill set. Next to Harbor, we have a mix of versatile newcomers fighting for starting time, including transfers Jared Brown, Gage Larvadain, Ahmari Huggins-Bruce, and true freshman Mazeo Bennett. Look for Brown to emerge as a budding star from game one.

When you consider the talent and personnel, expect the Gamecocks to establish an identity built of a relentless rushing attack and play action passing. A big x-factor here is the coaching staff addition of Coach Shawn Elliott who was brought in as the Run Game Coordinator and whose background includes building some of the best offensive lines in South Carolina Gamecocks history. 

As a former safety, I can tell you how difficult it is to prepare against this type of offense. If you play too shallow to help against the run, a guy like Nyck Harbor will get over the top for an easy six opportunity. If you play too deep, you’ll give up an extra yard or two against the run. Add in a mobile quarterback and you’re likely to be thinking too much pre-snap. It’s a tough spot to be in and a reason you’ll see opposing some opposing safeties struggle against South Carolina this season.

Defensively, the Gamecocks identity will revolve around being “multiple” which means having the personnel to line up in different defensive fronts. While I was playing, we ran the 4-2-5 almost exclusively but with the 2024 Gamecocks, you’ll likely see a mix of 4-2-5, 3-3-5 and even some 4-3. This philosophy relies on a few critical pillars in order to succeed:

• Defensive Line Versatility 
• Linebacker Speed
• Disciplined Safety Play

In my opinion, the most important player for the Gamecocks defense is Tonka Hemingway. The senior can play multiple spots along the front and is an excellent athlete coaches can use to exploit any weaknesses in opposing offensive lines. The defensive tackle group as a whole is solid with multiple veterans returning, while the edge group received the most improvement in recruiting this offseason. Transfer Kyle Kennard brings a balanced game and should log the most snaps among any defensive front player. True freshman Dylan Stewart, one of the country’s most coveted recruits last year, appears to be the next great defensive end in Columbia. If Stewart lives up to the hype in year one, the Gamecocks may have one of the better defensive fronts in the conference.

Behind them at Linebacker, quickness should be one of the first things we notice as an improvement from last season. Bam Martin-Scott will be a consistent starter while newcomer Demetrius Knight comes in on three linebacker personnel; both of whom were clocked in at over 21-miles-per-hour during offseason running drills. They are led by veteran Debo Williams, who always shows a knack for getting to the right spot in time to make the play.

With varying numbers of linebackers playing in the front seven, the responsibilities and “fits” of the safeties will vary throughout the game. Lack of discipline in these areas equals “busts” and scoring plays from opponents. With veterans returning at safety, including the standout Nick Emmanwori, disciplined safety play should be expected in 2024. The biggest thing to watch as it relates to disciplined play will be the communication between Emmanwori and safety comrade DQ Smith, and rising star Jalon Kilgore at Nickel. These guys should be constantly talking and gesturing arm signals to each other and the cornerbacks.

Win When Expected:

Every game is “winnable” on the schedule but here I’ll focus on games in which I expect the Gamecocks to be a favorite to win or listed at +3 points or fewer in sportsbooks.

Let’s start first with the four games where South Carolina is a clear favorite at this point in time. 

• Old Dominion (season-opener)
• Akron
• At Vanderbiltt
• Wofford

If South Carolina loses any of these games, this will trigger the hot seat switch for the Coaching Staff and likely mean a near-worst finish in the SEC. Point blank: the Gamecocks cannot lose these games. And they shouldn’t.

The next two games may be toss-ups on paper but should prove to be close in terms of odds come game day.

• At Kentucky (road-opener)
• Texas A&M

Kentucky has proven to be tough to beat in recent years and South Carolina will look to keep their two-game winning streak alive. Texas A&M has dominated this series since they entered the SEC. Luckily, the Aggies have to come into Williams-Brice to play after South Carolina comes off a Bye week late in the season. Fingers crossed this is a night game.

That’s six wins right there which would get the Gamecocks bowl eligibility. If South Carolina doesn’t win all of these games, it won’t be the end of the world as there are six other games on the schedule. However, each of those games will likely be drastically more difficult and present the team with lower odds to win.

Conquer an Upset Victory:

When I played for South Carolina, our 2010 win over #1 ranked Alabama helped set up the Program for a few years of unparalleled success. While the 2024 schedule looks more difficult than ours did that year, it does present a few marquee match-ups that could help provide a similar boost. Here are the current top-16 nationally ranked match ups for South Carolina:

• Game 4 home vs #12 LSU
• Game 5 home vs #6 Ole Miss
• Game 6 at #5 Alabama
• Game 7 at #16 Oklahoma 
• Game 10 home vs #11 Missouri 
• Game 12 at #14 Clemson

 

Is there a harder four game stretch than South Carolina’s 4 through 7 games? If I had to pick the most winnable of the above, I would pick LSU and Missouri since they come at home and are situated well within the Gamecocks schedule. 

If the Gamecocks happen to win more than one of their bigger matchups, like they did in 2022 beating two top-10 teams in Tennessee and Clemson, then it's a safe bet Coach Beamer will have plenty of juice to ride into the offseason and continue to build this program back into an SEC contender.

 

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Upcoming Articles:

•     Offense Preview (In-Depth)
•     Defense & Special Teams Preview (In-Depth)
•     Top Newcomers to Watch (Freshmen and Transfers)
•     Schedule Breakdown

 

Read About Gamecocks & the Author, Matt O'Brien HERE