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South Carolina position battles Shane Beamer is watching as opener approaches

On3 imageby: Collyn Taylor08/24/22collyntaylor
On3 image
Antwane Wells Jr. (Photo by Katie Dugan)

Camp is over, and now South Carolina is turning its full attention to game prep and getting ready for the season officially starting.

The Gamecocks began their mock game week Tuesday, their first on-field practice since Saturday’s scrimmage.

It makes the final stretch before a real, true game week with plenty of questions still to answer. There are a few position battles Shane Beamer will have his eye on over the next few practices before Georgia State rep really ramps up.

“That wide receiver group, how that kind of shakes out for sure. All those guys are going to play in regards of the guys we’re talking about consistently at wide receiver. But how does it exactly shake out going into next week?” Beamer said.

“Who’s going to be third quarterback behind Luke and Spencer? Those guys are our clear-cut two. We know DK can play quarterback, but is it Colten (Gauthier)? Is it Tanner Bailey? Is it Braden Davis? Is it Jalen Daniels? Trying to figure out who’s going to be that third guy going into the season.”

South Carolina has options at receiver with returners like Josh Vann, Xavier Legette, Ahmarean Brown and Dakereon Joyner back. They’re paired with a host of newcomers like Antwane Wells Jr., Corey Rucker and others.

Quarterback, though, is settled at the top. The question becomes if Joyner will be the team’s third option there or will one of the young players step up and take the mantle.

Gauthier and Joyner are the only two players who’ve thrown a pass in a competitive game. Gauthier threw one pass last season in his redshirt year for 19 yards while Joyner is 26-for-39 for 329 yards and a touchdown in his career.

He’s coming off a bowl MVP performance where he completed all nine of his passes for 160 yards and rushed for 64 yards.

The Gamecocks also have some pieces to figure out defensively, including what the linebacker rotation looks like.

The biggest in Beamer’s eyes starts up front while ending on the back end.

“We have depth on the defensive line. How does that top six end up shaking out? The safety position, RJ Roderick and Devonni Reed have been our top two guys in the preseason,” Beamer said. “But what does it look like behind them? What happens with the placekicker situation with Herrera and Jeter? That’s one. I think there’s a lot of them.”

The special teams competitions are still going on, centering on the placekicker spot. South Carolina also need to find a fill-in punter until Kai Kroeger returns from a foot injury.

William Joyce, Alex Herrera and also Mitch Jeter are all getting reps at punter and Beamer said all have “shown they can punt at this level.”

Herrera and Jeter are the two battling things out as Parker White’s replacement in what’s been a “back and forth” competition. Neither spot is a position of concern for Beamer entering the season opener.

“We try and put those guys in as many pressure situations as we can. Whether it’s them kicking on air with the team completely surrounding them and screaming in their faces like we did the other night at the scrimmage,” Beamer said.

“Or pressure kicks in practice where if they make both kicks we’re not running extra. They’ve responded.”

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