South Carolina’s 2-1 start has already been overshadowed by a damaging home loss to Mississippi State, and the conversation around LaNorris Sellers has turned sharp fast.
The Gamecocks fell 41-34 to a Bulldogs team that had gone 7-18 over the previous two seasons under Jeff Lebby. Instead of looking like a team ready to move forward, South Carolina is now staring at a stretch that has included nine losses in its last 13 games under Shane Beamer. That’s a rough place to be for a program that, not long ago, seemed to be building around a quarterback with real star potential.
Sellers remains the centerpiece of the discussion because the talent is obvious. CBS Sports analyst Cooper Petagna made clear where he thinks the blame belongs, saying, “Well, just to be succinct with this, I think South Carolina’s failed him,” Petagna recently said (h/t On3).
Petagna’s point is rooted in what Sellers had around him during his breakout 2024 season. Running back Raheim Sanders and tight end Joshua Simon gave him real support, and both were major pieces of the offense. Sanders ran for 881 yards and 11 touchdowns, while Simon caught seven touchdowns from the tight end spot.
That kind of help has not been there over the last two seasons, and the turnover around Sellers has been constant. He’s already worked with three offensive coordinators: Dowell Loggains, Mike Shula and Kendal Briles. Petagna argued that the lack of continuity has made things harder for a young quarterback trying to find his footing.
“I think the the game has kind of changed around him a little bit when you think about continuity, consistency for a young signal caller, making sure you surround him with those types of things in a stable environment, South Carolina has not done that,” the analyst said.
Still, Sellers is not off the hook. His 2025 numbers have been uneven, with 13 touchdown passes and eight interceptions, and he threw two picks against Mississippi State. The blame, then, doesn’t sit entirely on one side.
At the moment, South Carolina is stuck in the middle of that reality: a gifted quarterback who has not fully delivered, and a program that, according to one analyst, hasn’t given him nearly enough help.
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Gamecocks Landed A Fast-Rising Arm At The Perfect Time
South Carolina picked up an intriguing arm for its 2027 class in right-hander Cooper DeVries, a pitcher still working his way back from Tommy John surgery but already turning heads again. DeVries has shown the kind of velocity that keeps college staffs interested, recently reaching 96 mph on the radar gun, and that rise helped put him on the radar of several programs before he settled on the Gamecocks.
For South Carolina, the timing matters as much as the talent. DeVries said his recruiting visit stood out because of the pitching program and the team culture, two things the Gamecocks have leaned on while building their next wave of arms. He now gives the staff a promising long-term addition, with upside that could look even better once he gets farther removed from surgery and back into a full workload. [Read more 🡒]
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Lee arrives with NCAA tournament experience already on her rsum, but the bigger challenge now is fitting into Staleys system and the rhythm of a brand-new locker room. For a team that has to replace so much production and leadership, every early impression matters, and Lees adjustment will be worth watching as South Carolina sorts out its new backcourt and tries to identify who can help carry the load from day one. [Read more 🡒]
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The buildup has naturally centered on the practical stuff that tends to matter most in a game like this: South Carolinas injury situation, the betting line that tilts toward Alabama, and the weather conditions awaiting both teams in Tuscaloosa. For the Gamecocks, the challenge is not just surviving a road test against a ranked opponent, but doing it while sorting through the kinds of questions that can shape the rest of the season long after Saturday night ends. [Read more 🡒]