There’s already a real conversation forming around Matt Fuller as South Carolina opens preseason camp, and it’s easy to see why.
The redshirt sophomore gave the Gamecocks a glimpse of what he might become during the 2025 season, then capped spring practice by being named the team’s best offensive player. He also finished last season with 72 carries for 260 yards and two touchdowns, which were the top numbers among returning South Carolina running backs. And when you stack that production against the backs the Gamecocks brought in through the portal, Fuller still leads that group in carries and yards.
Asked whether that has raised expectations heading into 2026, Fuller didn’t dodge it.
“Yeah, a little bit,” he said with a grin.
He looks like a legitimate candidate to head a revamped running back room under new position coach Stan Drayton, and the belief in Fuller isn’t limited to fans. Rahsul Faison, who led USC in rushing with 470 yards last season, made his stance clear after seeing a Fuller highlight clip.
“He’s the best in the country,” Faison said on X/Twitter, responding to a Fuller highlight video.
The case for Fuller starts with experience. He played 178 offensive snaps in 10 games last season, according to Pro Football Focus, and that kind of work matters as he tries to take another step in 2026. Drayton pointed to that background, along with Fuller’s frame, strength and growing command of the offense, as reasons the back is in the mix to start.
“He’s played in a bunch of games around here,” Drayton said. “His body type is legit.
He’s got a pro-style body type about him. He’s worked his butt off, extremely strong.
He’s really elevated his level of play from a football IQ standpoint, understanding the system, eliminating mistakes.”
Still, Fuller knows there’s one area that has to improve if he wants the job: pass protection.
That matters at South Carolina, where protecting LaNorris Sellers is not just the offensive line’s assignment. Running backs are part of that equation on pass plays, and Christian Clark, who is also competing for the RB1 role, put it bluntly.
“We have a very talented quarterback, and in order to win games, we need him to be healthy,” Clark said. “He can do so many things on the field with his arm and running the ball.
So, if you can’t block you can’t play. Anybody can run, but pass pro is the most important thing.”
Fuller said that was the area he focused on most this offseason, aside from becoming more consistent overall.
“Last year, I really couldn’t protect like that,” Fuller said. “I was playing last year, but I [also] wasn’t a little bit. So that’s what I really worked on in the spring, just my pass protection.”
The numbers back up the concern. Fuller was in a pass-blocking situation on 12 snaps last season, per PFF, and his 39.3 pass-blocking grade ranked 26th among the 29 South Carolina offensive players who qualified.
Fuller’s work in that area has started with film study alongside Drayton, where the two go over where safeties and “free hitters” might show up on a given play. From there, preseason camp becomes the testing ground, with Drayton set to see how Fuller and the rest of the backs handle those situations in live work.
For now, the competition remains open. Fuller has the ability to be the top option, but Drayton made it clear there’s still plenty to sort out before anyone can claim the spot.
“I still need to put him in situations to prove that he can protect the quarterback, given all the different pressures we’re getting ready to see this season,” Drayton said. “Can he sustain?
What is his threshold as a ball carrier? Can he be a 20-carry guy?
Can he be a 30-carry guy? Or is he a 15, 17?
“It’s just so much still to figure out, right? But does he have the skill set, the talent?
Absolutely, they all do. They all do.
They just need to take that next step.”
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Matt Fuller Is Forcing A Tough South Carolina Backfield Decision
Matt Fuller flashed what South Carolina could have in him last season, even if the touches never fully followed. The running back made his mark with a 72-yard touchdown against LSU and still finished the year with limited carries, a reminder that production and opportunity did not always line up for him in 2025.
Now the conversation around the backfield is changing. With other running backs moving on, Fuller is set to have a much bigger lane in the coming season, and the staff has already shown confidence in his talent and potential. He has committed to staying in Columbia and competing for snaps in what is expected to be a committee approach, which leaves South Carolina with a familiar but important question: how quickly does Fuller go from intriguing spark to central piece? [Read more 🡒]