South Carolina is 13 days from opening preseason camp, and the Gamecocks are heading into it with plenty to sort out before the 2026 season gets rolling. Shane Beamer is entering his sixth year in charge, and after a disappointing finish to a season that came with bigger expectations, South Carolina is not getting much preseason buzz in SEC circles.
There are still a few names and questions worth watching as camp approaches, starting with one newcomer who could force his way into the lineup quickly. Offensive lineman Darius Gray has a real shot to matter as a true freshman, even if South Carolina still hasn’t locked him into one spot.
He’s listed as an interior player, and that’s the likeliest landing place, but tackle hasn’t been ruled out. Gray arrived as a summer enrollee, and while he may or may not be an opening-day starter, he looks like a strong bet to be on the two-deep by the middle of the season.
One veteran who should keep driving this team is defensive back Vicari Swain. The preseason All-SEC teams released Friday left him off, which stood out because he had a legitimate case as a return specialist.
Swain earned All-SEC recognition from multiple publications last season as a returner and was one of five finalists for the Jet Award in 2025, which goes to the nation’s top return man. He’s not just a special-teams weapon, either.
South Carolina is counting on him as a starting cornerback this season, and he has a chance to be just as dangerous there. Last year he finished with two interceptions, five pass breakups and two forced fumbles, and even though he started only three games, he played more snaps at corner than anyone else on the roster.
The biggest swing factor may be LaNorris Sellers. A bounce-back season feels possible, and plenty of people around the sport seem to agree.
Former Vanderbilt quarterback Jordan Rodgers, now an SEC Network host, is among those who think offensive coordinator Kendal Briles can get the most out of him. ESPN’s Cole Cubelic called the pairing a “beautiful fit” too.
For Sellers, the key is getting back to using his legs more often. He ran for 674 yards in 2024, then dropped to 270 last season.
Beamer said “it would be crazy” not to make better use of that part of his game this year. Sellers also needs to clean up the passing numbers, with his completion percentage falling by nearly five points year over year and his touchdown-to-interception ratio moving in the wrong direction.
Briles and the rest of the offense will have plenty to fix.
There is at least some reason to like the way the schedule lays out. South Carolina has seven games against teams in the latest Preseason USA Today Top 25, and all seven are in the top 16.
Still, the early stretch offers a chance to settle in, especially with a pair of non-conference games to start the year while the team works through a couple of significant injuries. The SEC opener comes at home against Mississippi State, which is no cakewalk, but the Bulldogs were picked 15th in the league.
The bye arrives at a useful point, there are no back-to-back road games, and the toughest opponents come in the second half of the season. It’s not a perfect draw, but for an SEC schedule, it gives South Carolina some breaks.
That’s why a six-win home season is the most interesting prediction in this countdown. Beamer will take the team into Williams-Brice Stadium seven times, and three of those games come against preseason top 16 opponents.
To get to six home wins, South Carolina has to handle Kent State, Towson and Mississippi State right away, then beat Kentucky on the first Saturday in October. Miss one of those, and the path gets rough fast.
After that, the Gamecocks would need two wins from Tennessee, Texas A&M and Georgia. If South Carolina is going to stay in the College Football Playoff conversation the way Beamer says it can, Tennessee probably has to be one of them.
Then it comes down to taking one of the two remaining games against Texas A&M or Georgia, both playoff teams last season with veteran quarterbacks and strong defenses. It’s a tall order, especially with those games coming after the bye, but this team should have enough at quarterback and enough new leadership on offense to go with what Clayton White and the defense continue to provide.
If South Carolina doesn’t reach six home wins, the rest of the season goals get a lot harder to chase.
In Other News...
David Pollack Sees A South Carolina Breakthrough Fans Have Waited For
David Pollack is buying into the idea that South Carolina could be one of the SECs more interesting teams this fall, and the optimism is rooted in more than just wishful thinking. He pointed to the Gamecocks offseason work under Shane Beamer, along with the kind of young talent that can change a teams ceiling if it develops quickly enough. For a program that has spent plenty of time trying to turn promise into production, that alone makes the conversation worth having.
Pollack also sees a path where South Carolina is not just better, but relevant in the biggest games on the schedule. He believes the Gamecocks have the ingredients for a late-season surge, with the potential to push into the kind of record range that would put them in the SEC spotlight and at least make people start asking bigger questions about their place in the conference race. [Read more 🡒]