The South Carolina Gamecocks had an impressive offensive season in 2024. We’ll go in depth and break down each position on the offense of South Carolina’s football team from this past year.
South Carolina Gamecocks Offensive Grades
Quarterbacks: A-
South Carolina fans can’t ask for much more than what redshirt freshman LaNorris Sellers gave them this season. Coming off a year of learning on the bench, Sellers displayed maturity and clutch playmaking. Perhaps the biggest visible difference in the Gamecock’s offense from last year to this was the scramble drill and broken play success.
Sellers’ ability to throw while on the run and gain yards with his legs made this year’s team more dangerous and dynamic than last year’s pocket-based passing attack led by Spencer Rattler. The 2024 SEC Freshmen of the Year and Football Writers Association of America (FWAA) National Freshmen Offensive Player of the Year ran 166 times for 674 yards (4.1 yards/carry) and 7 touchdowns.
SEC FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR 👀👀 pic.twitter.com/n1luHYOBtO
— 1801 Media (@1801MediaCo) December 13, 2024
Throwing the ball, he remained magnificent. Sellers opened eyes when he showcased his arm talent on deep balls. In addition to his powerful arm, he routinely fit the ball into tight windows and threw extremely well on the run. In total, Sellers racked up 2,547 yards on 197 of 300 throwing, with a passer rating of 151.9. That’s not bad for a season that many expected would be a development year.
On the other hand, one problem Sellers had at times was protecting the ball. Turnovers were certainly an issue for him at the beginning of the season. He was unaware of his blindside and not cautious of players punching the ball out from his arms. Though costly, these were coachable, fixable mistakes.
Sellers finished with seven interceptions and 11 fumbles (6 lost), but as a 19-year-old it was inevitable he would have some growing pains. Yet, Sellers overcame them quickly.
His decision-making improved as the season progressed and the turnovers subsided as a result. Through the first five weeks, he threw four interceptions, but then limited that number to three over the final seven contests while not throwing multiple picks in one game all season.
The only other quarterback who had notable playing time was Robby Ashford, who has since transferred to Wake Forest. Ashford only played in the second half against LSU, and led the team to a blowout win against Wofford. He struggled in passing situations, but as a backup, the expectations for him were not high. Since he didn’t play a significant amount, his poor play won’t drop the overall grade for his position.
Running Backs: B+
While it might be a more complete assessment to talk about the run game as a whole because of the role Sellers played with his legs, this evaluation will be limited to the running backs only.
Raheim”Rocket” Sanders was the biggest pickup via the transfer portal for the South Carolina Gamecocks last offseason. From last year to now, the team’s rushing yards per attempt skyrocket by 1.6 yards. That’s thanks in part to Sanders’ impact, which went beyond his stats.
Sanders was transferred into South Carolina coming off a 2023 season at Arkansas that was derailed by injuries. A knee injury early in the year and a shoulder injury that required surgery limited him to 62 carries and 209 yards a year ago. After working hard all offseason, critics still questioned the player he’d be, and if the injuries still lingered. Sanders showed them with his highest scoring season of his college career.
The running back rushed 183 times for 881 yards (4.8 yards/carry) with 11 rushing touchdowns. He also had the best receiving season of his career with 27 receptions for 316 (11.7 yards/catch) and 2 touchdowns.
Although his stats were impressive, he also added far more to the team’s success. The fear opponents had of Sanders ripping into their secondary allowed Sellers to take read options himself and get into open space.
Sanders’ backup was Oscar Adaway III, who put up 3.8 yards per carry in limited action. That was a big downgrade from the 6.0 Adaway put up a year ago at North Texas. He had three touchdowns this season, mostly as an injury fill-in and during blowouts.
Wide Receivers: C-
One thing the South Carolina roster lacked was a WR1 for the Gamecocks. Nobody came into camp as the primary passing target, and nobody finished the season as one. It was an up-and-down year for almost everyone in the receiver room.
Track star Nyck Harbor entered the season as a project who was expected to develop. He finished the season by leading the position group in yards, although with only 376 of them.
On the other hand, the leader in receptions was Mazeo Bennett with 30. The true freshman showed potential for what could be coming later.
Overall, the receivers disappointed. The loss of Xavier Legette proved to be a massive difference maker. Legette had 1,255 yards last year, almost 900 more yards than any Gamecock wide receiver, and more than the top four Gamecock wide receivers combined.
Tight Ends: B
The MVP of pass-catchers was the tight end Joshua Simon, who led the team in receptions, receiving yards, and touchdowns. He was Sellers’ most reliable target all season.
Simons’ trustworthy hands always seemed to come up big when Sellers needed an important pass. He finished with 519 yards on 40 receptions and 7 touchdowns. The senior will be missed next season, as he will leave large shoes to fill at his position.
Offensive Line: B-
Although the unit was a lot healthier this year compared to last, they still gave up the exact same number of sacks, 41. While they imploded at times – allowing six sacks by Ole Miss and five by Oklahoma – the squad also went two games in a row, and three out of four, without allowing a sack.
In the run game, the offensive line often played well and created holes for the backs. However, their season was characterized by inconsistency. Sometimes they got dominated at the line of scrimmage, but others they stifled the opposing team. All in all, the offensive line improved form last year to this.
