Cutter Woods ready to learn and help in freshman season at South Carolina

With fall camp only weeks away, South Carolina will have starting roles to fill and position battles to watch out for as the new season approaches. Starting quarterback duties will be the least of its concerns.

LaNorris Sellers, who was voted by the media to the All-SEC First Team this week, returns for his second year under center as an early Heisman hopeful. There’s nothing to debate as far as his spot goes.

As for who backs up Sellers, now that’s still to be determined. The Gamecocks will have their options with Luke Doty, Air Noland, Cutter Woods and Jimmy Francis as the other quarterbacks on the roster.

Woods might be the most intriguing name in this ongoing competition. The 6-foot-3, 204-pound freshman opened plenty of eyes when his first throw in this year’s spring game was a 51-yard bomb to returning wide receiver Vandrevius Jacobs.

“Coach called the play, and I knew we had a pretty deep route,” Woods said at Pigskin Poets on Friday. “I figured it’d be fun, hopefully to try to get one deep, and the right defense happened, and it was able to be open.”

The over-the-shoulder pass led to Woods scoring on a quarterback keeper only a few plays later. It was a moment that felt good for Woods in his first moment to shine, but also showed he was more than capable of holding his own.

“You definitely get an adrenaline rush,” he said. “It was a lot of fun, obviously. Being able to just run down to the field and kind of get going in the red zone, it was a pretty cool experience.”

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Woods was the lone quarterback in South Carolina’s 2025 signing class and soon after enrolled in January. He arrived fresh off the heels of a great senior season at Westside High School (SC), where he threw for 3,469 yards with 43 touchdowns. He previously led the Rams to a Class AAAA state title and earned MaxPreps South Carolina Player of the Year honors in 2023.

As he begins his first year at South Carolina, Woods will spend most of his time watching games from the sidelines, with Sellers being the starter. While he’s only been on campus for a few months, he’s enjoyed getting to be in the same room as Sellers and learn from him.

“He carries a super calm but leadership demeanor,” Woods said. “… He’ll speak up when he needs to. When he does speak up, it’s normally a really good time to speak up. But he definitely leads by example, and he’s definitely an example to follow because he’s been super successful.”

Even though he won’t be starting right away, Woods will still have a lot to play for with backup duties up for grabs. It’s certainly a spot that any of the vying quarterbacks would like to earn. Woods said it’s been “really fun” to be around the others in the room competing for the same role as him.

“We all just get along,” he added. “We mesh and have some chemistry, and we are able to joke around and smile. So it’s fun to be able to go in with those guys.”

Regardless of where Woods resides on the depth chart, he’ll have other goals in mind for himself this season as he prepares for a long-term future with the Gamecocks.

“I just want to learn just how to be the best football player I can possibly be for South Carolina,” Woods said. “How can I best help the team, whether that’s on the field or off the field, in the weight room? I just want to become the best player for myself, but also, how can I help this team win games, whether it’s a big role or a small role?”

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