‘Hungry and humble’ Wells returns as top receiving threat
Senior wide receiver Antwane “Juice” Wells Jr. waited for things to fall into place before making his decision to return for his final season at South Carolina.
Positive conversations with new offensive coordinator Dowell Loggains and the return of redshirt senior quarterback Spencer Rattler have set the stage for his last year in Columbia.
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Wells recorded over 900 receiving yards, including four 100-yard receiving games, and caught six touchdowns in his debut season at South Carolina.
That production sets the expectation for Wells to be the number one wide receiver for the Gamecocks, but he is not satisfied with last season.
“He’ll be the first to tell you he can improve on all of it but because of his mentality and his work ethic and his desire to be great that will continue to push him to where he needs to be,” head coach Shane Beamer said.
Beamer complemented Wells as a teammate but said he will need to step into a leadership role as a veteran. Wells aims to impart what he has learned from overcoming injuries and hardships with the underclassmen in the locker room.
“I’m very grateful for the position that I’m in now,” Wells said. “Now I just want to be a voice to like younger guys who are going through situations like that to let them know like you just keep going.”
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Wells explained how he’s approaching his final year of eligibility with his long-term goals in mind.
“Just that dog mentality, you know, play like you’re the best man on the field and act like that on and off the field,” Wells said. “Just treat this year like a professional because next year I will be a professional.”
Wide receivers coach Justin Stepp shared his message to his position group’s top returning performer.
“What we always talk about in our room is playing with something to prove and coaching with something to prove,” Stepp said. “So, my whole challenge to him is: are you a flash-in-the-pan one-year guy or can you come back and do the same thing and do it better?”
Wells and Stepp will look to build off last season’s success but in a revamped system under Loggains. Those initial discussions between the new offensive coordinator and returning playmaker have translated onto the practice field.
“He’s just a good guy to be around, he’s always got high spirits,” Wells said. “You know, I love the way he coaches, I love the way he’s finding new ways to get the playmakers the ball.”
Improvement seems to be the theme for Wells this spring. He aims to gain a thorough understanding of the offensive system while improving his game.
“Learning the line’s protections and all of that type of stuff just to get a full understanding of the whole offense, you know, that’s the main thing I want to focus on.” Wells said. “And secondly, just everything, every part of my game can upgrade, always, whether that’s releases, route running, catching.”
