How South Carolina shifted leadership in the locker room from 2024 to 2025

South Carolina graduated many leaders between its offense, defense and special teams after the 2024-25 season concluded. The departure of leaders like Debo Williams, Kai Kroeger and Joshua Simon left the Gamecocks a younger team that needed to grow into a different leadership style.

“I mean, that was a special group last year, because you had some grown men,” head coach Shane Beamer said. ” … I mean, you think about it, there were a lot of older guys, and we’re really young right now.”

South Carolina graduated or lost to the portal nine of its 15 tackle leaders after the 2024 season. Additionally, the Gamecocks lost their starting kicker, punter and running back, among others.

However, despite the youth of the team, South Carolina knows who its leaders are in 2025, Beamer said.

“Like, LaNorris Sellers was voted a permanent captain by his teammates last year,” Beamer said. “LaNorris hardly ever says a word.”

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Sellers’ leadership style isn’t the first time Beamer has seen a quarterback lead in that way, either. He saw the same quiet leadership Sellers possesses with Jalen Hurts while at Oklahoma.

While differences exist, Beamer knows constant roster turnover is life in college athletics. It’s not like he was blindsided by the changes.

“It’s not like I’m oblivious to it. I knew as soon as the season ended that we were going to have to replace a lot of leadership from the 24 team to the 25 team,” Beamer said. “And we went to work on it hard in January, all through the off-season program, the summer, to develop that leadership and build those guys up.”

It’s a different style of leadership, Beamer said, but the team still has many passionate players who have been at South Carolina for a long time. Defensive back Peyton Williams said Tuesday that everyone has stepped up as a leader in the defensive room.

“You don’t have to be the guy that’s always, just, ‘rah rah rah’ all the time,” Beamer said. “Brandon Cisse for us is one of those new transfers that’s a leader on this team. He doesn’t say a whole lot, but just watch the guy. The way he handles his business, he’s a pro’s pro.”

For now, the Gamecocks and their group of leaders push forward as the team seeks its first Southeastern Conference win of 2025.

“It’s still a work in progress. Those guys are very, very passionate about it,” Beamer said. “(I) meet with a group of them regularly each week, and they want to get this thing right, and know that being a leader means having uncomfortable conversations with people, and you’ve got to confront and you’ve got to demand, and seeing more and more signs of that.”

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