Fall Camp Intel: Quality receiver depth beginning to emerge at South Carolina

As fall camps come to a close around the country, college football analyst Josh Pate is traveling the nation to get the latest intel. And he has some out of South Carolina.

He believes the wide receivers are starting to turn from a question mark into a potential answer for quarterback LaNorris Sellers and company. And if that’s the case it has major ramifications.

“That’s a big deal, if true, because that makes me rethink South Carolina’s high-end potential,” Pate said on Josh Pate’s College Football Show on Tuesday night.

So what is the intel, exactly? Well, those close to the South Carolina program believe they’re beginning to develop a lot more depth beyond known commodity Nyck Harbor.

“The wide receiver room is the biggest question mark here to me,” Pate said. “Question is not a weakness, need to remember that’s a central theme in August: A question is not weakness. However, I am of the belief that past Nyck Harbor there’s not a lot I can trust there. Now that’s been my working theory. I have spoken to people at South Carolina who vehemently push back on that.”

Pate singled out a couple of receivers who are turning heads over the last few weeks. Jared Brown and Vandrevius Jacobs have reportedly put together a really nice fall camp.

“They are especially over the past couple of days, using this last scrimmage, to push back on it really hard,” Pate said of the prevailing narrative. “And not just the past scrimmage, but the past few weeks, because they really feel like they’ve got some solid depth.

“Jacobs, Brown, there’s a lot of names they’re starting to throw at you. None of them are going to be like 1,000-yard reception guys this year, or at least they don’t count on it, but guys they can depend on, guys that provide quality depth past just a one so you can’t bracket Nyck Harbor the entire afternoon.”

Some other tidbits from South Carolina? Everyone is very much expecting Sellers to be the real deal.

“LaNorris Sellers, they’ll tell you he’s the best quarterback in the country,” Pate said. “When they say that, I don’t argue with them because wherever I had him ranked, they know him better than I do, they know his potential better than me. If I’m questioning LaNorris Sellers, it’s because of his supporting cast, again which I’ll get to in a second. But he’s a field general. Everything you would ever expect from a guy that some people are whispering may be the top overall pick in the draft. I know folks at South Carolina don’t want me talking about that, we’ll cross that bridge when we get to it.”

Finally, a concern that Pate has for South Carolina. Or at least something to keep tabs on.

“The one thing I’m monitoring there as well is I think they’ve got three of their top six defensive ends hurt right now,” Pate said. “I don’t think like season-enders or anything, but that’s something I’m watching.”