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ESPN names South Carolina's LaNorris Sellers as top-10 Heisman candidate

by:Kevin Miller05/16/25

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South Carolina QB LaNorris Sellers (Photo: Katie Dugan | GamecockCentral.com)
South Carolina QB LaNorris Sellers (Photo: Katie Dugan | GamecockCentral.com)

South Carolina football fans have heard a lot of offseason hype about their favorite team this offseason. Understandably, much of that hype has focused on the team’s two star sophomores LaNorris Sellers and Dylan Stewart. This week, the hype continued for Sellers.

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ESPN published its 2025 college football preview on Thursday. The preview included the outlet’s top picks for this year’s Heisman Trophy. The Gamecock signal-caller made the cut.

Slotting in at No. 7 on ESPN’s list, Sellers was the sixth quarterback, behind Clemson’s Cade Klubnik, Texas’ Arch Manning, LSU’s Garrett Nussmeier, Florida’s DJ Lagway, and Penn State’s Drew Allar. (Ohio State wide receiver Jeremiah Smith was the only non-QB in the top seven.) ESPN’s Chris Low, Kyle Bonagura, Dave Wilson, Bill Connelly, Adam Rittenberg, Jake Trotter, Heather Dinich, Eli Lederman, Max Olson, and David Hale contributed to the preview.

Said Low about Sellers, “There may not be a more valuable player in the country than the 6-foot-3, 240-pound Sellers, who’s next to impossible to tackle when he breaks out of the pocket. Sellers looks and plays a lot like Cam Newton did when Newton was at Auburn for his 2010 Heisman Trophy season. Sellers, a redshirt sophomore, needs to become a more polished passer. He accounted for 25 touchdowns (18 passing, seven rushing) last season and was one of five Power 4 quarterbacks to pass for more than 2,500 yards and rush for more than 600 yards.”

The ranking mirrors other outlets’ offseason placements of Sellers. FanDuel ranked him sixth overall in its Heisman odds. Other outlets like CBS Sports, USA Today, and Fox Sports have also included him in Heisman talks, as well.

Sellers and the Gamecocks also made Dinich’s list of 10 potential first-time College Football Playoff teams, ranking No. 2.

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The 2025 Gamecocks still have about three-and-a-half months before they take the field for the first time. South Carolina will match up with the Virginia Tech Hokies in Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Kickoff is scheduled for 3:00 p.m. The contest will be broadcast on ESPN, while it streams on the ESPN app.

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