South Carolina’s offensive line is still taking shape, but the message coming out of camp is pretty clear: there’s real competition, and the staff likes it that way.
Offensive coordinator Kendal Briles said the unit has made steady progress since spring, with the battle carrying over through summer workouts and into fall camp. He pointed to the kind of depth the Gamecocks are trying to build, saying, "Progress has been great" Briles said.
"Those guys have been battling all through spring, summer workouts and into fall camp. We'd like to have seven or eight guys that we're going to be able to roll in.
If you had just five bonafide dudes that you couldn't take off the field, then you'd leave them in there and I don't know if we're at that point. We've still got guys who are really battling for those positions and getting on the field.
"That's good, it creates an edge in the room. Coach Clements and coach Smooth have done a heck of a job coaching those guys up and making sure we're getting those guys in the right position and getting the best five on the field."
The tackle spots remain the biggest question. Briles said Dayne Arnett, Shed Sarratt Jr., Seth Smith and Darius Gray are in the mix for those jobs, with two of the best five needing to settle in there.
"Those guys are all battling it out, so we can get what we feel like are the two best, and then if we need to rotate some guys, we'll rotate them," Briles said.
Shane Beamer added Tuesday that rotation is likely to be part of the plan all season as South Carolina tries to build depth up front. He said it’s more likely than not that more than five offensive linemen will play in the opener against Kent State, and that the same approach could show up later in the year too.
"It's more likely than not that you're going to see more than five offensive linemen play against Kent State, more than five playing against whoever - Tennessee, when we play them in October," Beamer said. "I think for us, trying to figure out who those top eight guys are, maybe nine.
And then be able to rotate guys in there and keep them fresh. I think that's kind of the road we're heading down right now.
I feel like we're very close to that point, if not already there."
The current picture has Sarratt on the left side and Arnett on the right in what earlier this spring looked like a first-team alignment, with Hank Purvis at left guard, Carter Miller at center and Emmanuel Poku at right guard.
There are more options inside as well. Nolan Hay has experience at center and guard, while Markee Anderson, Adedamola Ajidahun and Ebubedike Nnabugwu are also in the mix.
Ajidahun has worked at right guard this year. Anderson played 70 snaps at right guard last season and also saw 23 snaps at left guard in the opener against Virginia Tech.
Nnabugwu lined up at left guard before shifting to left tackle during his only season at Missouri State.
Sarratt took most of his 2025 snaps at left guard, though most of his work late in the year came at right tackle. If he settles in at left tackle next weekend, the question becomes what happens when Jacarrius Peak returns. Briles said Peak is expected to be in the picture soon, possibly no later than Mississippi State in Week 3.
For now, South Carolina is still sorting out its best five. And with the way camp has gone, the staff may have more choices than it expected.
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