Shane Beamer names backup quarterback, talks South Carolina QB room
A lot of the talk this Gamecocks’ preseason at quarterback has centered around Spencer Rattler, but there was a miniature position battle behind him.
The Gamecocks had a competition at the backup quarterback spot with the incumbent solidifying himself as the team’s No. 2 quarterback.
Shane Beamer said Luke Doty is South Carolina’s backup as the season approaches and will be the guy behind Rattler with North Carolina looming.
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“Luke’s just a really good football player. I sit in that quarterback meeting a lot. I was in there this morning,” Beamer said. “He’s just smart. He gets it and asks great questions whether it be routes, protections, you name it. And he has done a nice job.”
Doty is entering year four at South Carolina while coming off a redshirt season in 2022. Over his four seasons, he’s completed 61 percent of his passes for 1,526 yards while throwing nine touchdowns to eight interceptions.
But just because Doty is the backup now doesn’t mean that couldn’t change. Beamer noted every position on the team is also up for grabs and the Gamecocks are really high on the rest of that quarterback room.
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“Certainly we’re excited about LaNorris (Sellers). We’re excited about Tanner Bailey. We’re excited about Colten Gauthier. I really like that quarterback room,” he said. “It’s really a bunch of good, good young men that are making each other better as well. You know, LaNorris has gotten better this preseason and has done some good things.”
Sellers–who was initially committed to Syracuse before flipping–has gotten the most attention over the course of the offseason. He came into camp as a four-star quarterback who began to turn heads in the spring. He’s continued to develop and South Carolina is certainly excited about where he is.
On3 had Sellers as the No. 95 player in the class while being the No. 8 quarterback. He finished as the No. 355 player and No. 21 in the Industry Rankings.
“I got here early in the spring. Just now, I’m more confident. I’m slowing down for a little bit, having a little more fun. But it feels good to be around the team, getting to know everybody, get closer with the coaching staff. It’s a good experience,” Sellers said at the Gamecock Central Kickoff Party at Steel Hands Brewing on Saturday.
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Bailey was another four-star add late in the process, de-committing from Oregon and signing with the Gamecocks as part of the 2022 class. He was the No. 347 player (No. 19 quarterback) in the Industry Rankings.
Gauthier was in Beamer’s first signing class, a three-star prospect who was the No. 651 player in the Industry Rankings.
