Lonnie Teasley addresses plan for identifying South Carolina's starting offensive linemen
South Carolina‘s starting offensive line isn’t set in stone. Gamecocks offensive line coach Lonnie Teasley recently discussed the process of choosing his front five. When asked how often he will mix and match the first string, Teasley gave an interesting answer.
“Moreso for competition. It’s trying to find out who’s the best — what’s the best five combination,” Teasley said. “There is going to be some moving and shaking, and guys playing different positions.”
The Gamecocks only have so many options. Two starters from last year’s bowl game — Eric Douglas and Jovaughn Gwyn — headed to the NFL after last season. To make matters worse, Jaylen Nichols, who was expected to start at left tackle, went down with a knee injury in South Carolina’s Garnet and Black Game in April.
The injury required surgery. While Beamer is optimistic Nichols will return before the end of the season, the fifth-year senior won’t be back anytime soon. Teasley expects the remaining lineup to change often during fall camp.
“There will be five out there and you guys will get to see who that is,” Teasley said with a laugh. “It’ll probably be different the next time you come.”
Even if Nichols was healthy, Teasley would not have an easy task ahead of him. South Carolina’s offensive line was subpar last season, allowing 2.38 sacks per game, tied for 81st in the nation.
Furthermore, the Gamecocks’ O-line failed to create comfortable holes for their running backs to burst through. South Carolina averaged just 118.8 rushing yards per contest, ranking No. 106 in the nation.
This season will be Teasley’s first as South Carolina’s offensive line coach. He spent the previous two seasons serving as an offensive analyst for the Gamecocks. Before that, Teasley spent two years as the offensive line coach at North Carolina Central University.
Expert’s opinion on South Carolina offensive line
Gamecock Central’s Wes Mitchell recently sat down with J.D. PicKell on On3 Roundtable to discuss the concerns surrounding South Carolina’s offensive line.
“This is a spot where they had already lost several guys who started the last couple of years,” Mitchell said. “But you looked at what they had coming back and I didn’t think it was necessarily a massive question. Then they lose Jaylen Nichols in the spring game, which obviously you never want to lose guys in the spring game. It sounds like he’s gonna be out for a while. At the very least, they go into next season not having their starting left tackle to start the year.
“I think we know what they have in the receiving corps,” Mitchell said. “I think the tight end group is going to be very, very good, even if they’re not quite nationally known at this point. We know what Rattler can do when he gets comfortable. So for me, it’s gonna be about can that offensive line gel together? Can they have a couple of young guys step up and give all those other guys a chance to actually go do what they can do?”