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South Carolina

Shane Beamer provides status update on Juice Wells, others

On3-Social-Profile_GRAYby: On3 Staff Report10/18/23
South Carolina WR Juice Wells
© Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK

South Carolina has played without some key playmakers this season, including star receiver Juice Wells. Wells has not played since the Georgia game on Sept. 16.

Coach Shane Beamer provided an update on Wells on Wednesday, as well as offensive lineman Jakai Moore.

“Jakai’s fine, Jakai practiced, has all week,” Beamer said. “Juice will not play.”

Wells has contributed just three catches for 37 yards and a touchdown so far this season, but he’s had considerable production in the past for the Gamecocks.

The talented wideout and former James Madison player went for 68 catches for 928 yards and six touchdowns in 2022, his first season with South Carolina. In his college career he has 187 catches for 2,818 yards and 28 touchdowns.

The Gamecocks could certainly use him healthy again.

Nyck Harbor beginning to emerge at receiver

One player who has helped mitigate the loss of Juice Wells at receiver somewhat is former five-star prospect Nyck Harbor. Harbor has begun to emerge more in recent weeks.

The talented wideout had a 45-yard catch in the team’s loss to Florida last weekend.

“For people to just sit there and say, ‘OK, well this guy was a five-star recruit, so just throw him out there and let him go.’ I wish it was that simple, guys,” Beamer said. “People that think that don’t always have a great understanding of what playing football is like.

“There’s a lot, and our offense — every offense in the country — is a little bit more complex than just, ‘Hey, line up on the right side and run a 12-yard curl and that’s all you have to do,’ There’s adjustments and there’s blocking assignments and you got to — we do a lot offensively, and there’s motions and once you get in the right place, you got to be able to make plays and make catches and things like that.”

Harbor was an elite recruit, a five-star prospect who was ranked as the No. 21 overall player in the 2023 recruiting class. Harbor checked in as the No. 1 athlete in the class and the No. 1 overall player from Washington D.C., hailing from Archbishop Carroll.