PFF names South Carolina football's biggest strength and weakness ahead of 2025 season

Fall camp begins in just a week’s time. That means last-minute preseason projections and previews are flying in from outlets all over the college football world. On Thursday, Pro Football Focus (PFF) released its preseason preview of the South Carolina Gamecocks. Among other pieces of analysis, PFF identified the team’s biggest strength and weakness ahead of the 2025 season.

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According to analysts Max Chadwick and Dalton Wasserman, South Carolina’s biggest strength is that it has “some of the freakiest athletes in college football.” Said Chadwick and Wasserman, “Columbia, South Carolina, might be college football’s Area 51 in 2025, thanks to the aliens roaming the Gamecocks roster. Wide receiver Nyck Harbor has topped Bruce Feldman’s “Freaks List” two years in a row. Quarterback LaNorris Sellers arguably owns the best physical tools of any signal-caller in the country. And sophomore edge rusher Dylan Stewart already looks like a future top-five pick in the 2027 NFL Draft after flashing elite pass-rush traits as a true freshman. If even one of those stars takes the next step in their development, South Carolina could be a serious problem.”

The “alien” illustration is appropriate. Sellers and Stewart have been two of the most talked-about names in college football this offseason, and Harbor has been a popular pick as a breakout candidate. All three will be important parts of the 2025 Gamecocks’ success on the field.

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As for the team’s biggest weakness, Chadwick and Wasserman have reservations about the Gamecocks’ offensive line. They said, “South Carolina’s offensive line has been a persistent issue in recent years. The Gamecocks ranked just 100th in offensive line grade in 2024 after finishing 115th the year prior. Over the past two seasons, they’ve allowed pressure on 40.1% of their dropbacks, the third-worst rate among Power Four teams. This year, they must replace all three starters on the interior, while returning tackles Cason Henry and Josiah Thompson each posted sub-60.0 PFF grades last season.”

PFF was lower on the 2024 South Carolina offensive line than most. It is true that the unit struggled, especially early in the season. But by the time the year ended, the Gamecocks blocked decently well up front. Though he graduated, Torricelli Simpkins earned All-SEC honors at guard, but his PFF grade was just 67.8. Thompson’s grade was low, but he still picked up Freshman All-American honors. There is reason to believe that Lonnie Teasley’s group can have a better showing in 2025, and with a player like LaNorris Sellers at quarterback, “better” should be good enough.

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