The South Carolina football team is three days from opening preseason camp, and the Gamecocks enter Shane Beamer’s sixth season with plenty to sort through before the 2026 opener ever comes into view.
After a disappointing finish to a year that carried high expectations, South Carolina is not drawing much buzz as an SEC contender this time around. That doesn’t mean there isn’t intrigue. There are still position battles to settle, players trying to bounce back, and a few areas where the schedule itself might give the Gamecocks a break.
One of the most interesting newcomers is defensive back Quay'sheed Scott, the Kentucky transfer expected to compete for the nickel spot in Clayton White’s defense. That role is not locked up, though, because Gerald Kilgore is also in the mix as camp approaches.
Scott started all 12 games at nickel for the Wildcats last season and earned a reputation as a reliable cover man who could also hold up against the run. There’s also some flexibility here, since Scott could end up seeing time at corner or safety depending on performance and health in the secondary.
At receiver, Mazeo Bennett Jr. is the veteran who still carries real value, even after a rough 2025. The numbers tell the story: after a freshman season of 459 snaps, 30 catches, 337 yards and three touchdowns, Bennett played just 167 snaps last year and finished with 10 catches, 62 yards and no scores.
That’s more than a sophomore slump. Whatever went sideways last season was said to have been put behind him by the end of the year, and position coach Mike Furrey praised his spring bounce back.
The biggest offensive question may be the simplest one: can South Carolina do anything better on third down? It has to.
The Gamecocks finished last in the league by converting only 31.9 percent of the time, and that kind of inefficiency dragged everything else down. Too many sacks allowed per game and too many tackles for loss left the offense off schedule and facing obvious passing downs.
Add in a 12th-place finish in the 16-team league in explosive plays of 20 yards or more, plus a rushing attack that ranked 14th in the SEC, and the path forward is pretty clear: stay ahead of the chains, run it better, and stop living in long-yardage situations.
There is at least some optimism in the quarterback draw. South Carolina doesn’t have to line up against too many of the SEC’s most highly regarded passers this season.
The Gamecocks will see Gunner Stockton, Marcel Reed and perhaps John Mateer, but only Stockton was picked as a preseason all-SEC player, and even then he landed on the third team. In the rankings cited from The Big Lead, Carolina draws only three quarterbacks placed in the top nine in the league, and six who are ranked 10th or better.
Great quarterback play still matters, but South Carolina avoided a brutal run of elite passers.
Special teams could also give the Gamecocks a lift. Mason Love helped South Carolina finish fourth in the SEC in net punting average last season, and if that number slips, it will probably say more about the coverage unit than the punter himself.
Love was outstanding as a redshirt freshman in 2025 and is expected to be strong again. The field goal situation is less settled.
South Carolina has not been nearly as sharp there over the last two seasons, sliding to 12th in the SEC in percentage made in each of the last two years after being near the top of the league during the Mitch Jeter years. Special teams coordinator Matthew Smiley says the job will not be decided by percentages alone, but that number is going to matter a lot.
If Max Kelley or Malik Orson wins the kicking job, it will be because they’re making kicks at a high clip. Upton Bellenfant, who has gone 24-for-27 over the last two seasons, is the steady option in the room.
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South Carolina Tight End Battle Could Shape Kendal Briles New Offense
Kendal Briles arrival as South Carolinas new offensive coordinator is expected to bring a different look to the Gamecocks attack, and the tight end spot could be one of the clearest places where that shows up. The position is projected to matter more in this offense, which makes the summer and preseason competition worth watching as the staff sorts out who will fit where.
Brady Hunt looks positioned to lead the group, with Mo Brown and Mike Tyler in the mix behind him as South Carolina searches for the right secondary option. Freshman Caden Ramsey and senior Max Drag also add depth to a room that could become more important than it has been in recent seasons, and the way that rotation settles in may end up saying plenty about how quickly Briles can put his imprint on the offense. [Read more 🡒]
Clemsons Preseason Ranking Says Everything About Expectations Right Now
The preseason coaches poll came out with a familiar sense of reset for both sides of the Palmetto State rivalry, and it landed especially hard on Clemson. The Tigers checked in at No. 23, which is their lowest preseason placement under Dabo Swinney since 2011, while South Carolina was left out of the top 25 but still picked up votes as both programs try to move past disappointing 2025 seasons.
For South Carolina, the unranked-but-not-ignored status is its own kind of commentary. It suggests the Gamecocks are still on the radar, but not yet in the group the coaches are ready to trust, and it leaves plenty of room for the kind of September proving ground that can change a seasons tone quickly. For a team trying to climb back into the national conversation, the opening expectations are clear enough: there is work to do before anyone starts treating this as more than a team with a pulse. [Read more 🡒]
South Carolina Still Has One Big Receiver Question For 2026
South Carolina heads into the upcoming season still searching for a wide receiver to separate from the pack after last years production was spread around instead of being driven by one clear go-to target. That leaves plenty of room for opportunity, and it also keeps the spotlight on an offense trying to figure out who can become the reliable playmaker that changes how defenses line up against the Gamecocks.
Kendal Briles has pointed to a group of young receivers as the names to watch, which tells you the competition is far from settled. One of the more interesting pieces is newcomer Sequel Patterson, who missed spring practice while finishing his basketball and track seasons and is now working to make up ground in summer workouts, a reminder that South Carolinas receiver picture for 2026 is still very much taking shape. [Read more 🡒]