What does it take for a college quarterback to crack the Heisman conversation? If you ask South Carolina’s HC Shane Beamer, it’s guts, game-winning moments, and a little swagger. After the Gamecocks’ shocking 17-14 win over No. 12 Clemson, Beamer didn’t mince words about his redshirt freshman QB and his $1.7M NIL worth. Is this young gun ready to challenge stars like Travis Hunter and Ashton Jeanty? Or is Beamer just riding high on adrenaline?

With adrenaline pumping and happy tears streaming, Shane Beamer dropped a diabolical Heisman bomb, backing his redshirt freshman QB LaNorris Sellers after putting up a stellar performance against the Tigers. “LaNorris Sellers is the best player in the country,” Beamer declared, with his voice cracking with pride. “All you media people that vote on the Heisman, if you are not voting for that guy, in the mix of Heisman trophy, you are out of your mind.” Sellers, rocking a $1.7 million NIL tag, has clearly made a Heisman impression on his coach—and now the college football world. Forget just being a rising star. Beamer’s calling him the guy to challenge Heisman heavyweights like Travis Hunter and Ashton Jeanty. Is it just his post-game adrenaline speaking? No. Either way, the kid’s name is in the mix.

Beamer continued full of post-game adrenaline—“Name a player in the country that’s done than this kid this year…..in the environment that he’s done it in, the moments he’s done it in, he put our team on his back…(2x).” Well, there are a few names coming to mind, like Travis Hunter and Ashton Jeanty, who unapologetically have a better season than LaNorris Sellers. But here’s the kicker: they play in Big 12 and Mountain West, respectfully not in the valley of death (SEC).

Is LaNorris Sellers a Heisman and playoff dark horse?

If you’ve been religiously keeping up with football—and not just hopping on the bandwagon—you’d know that South Carolina and LaNorris Sellers have been cooking since mid-season. Against Clemson, bookies had the Tigers as the clear favorites, sleeping on the Gamecocks. But Sellers didn’t just wake them up; he hit them with an alarm clock.

Trailing 14-10 with just 1:18 left, South Carolina faced a 3rd-and-16. Sellers took matters into his own hands, literally, scrambling 20 yards for a game-winning touchdown. He had Clemson’s #17 and #9 rolling on the ground. That’s a Heisman moment for sure. The 19-year-old has stacked 17 touchdowns and 7 picks this season, but his impact goes beyond stats. Is he the Heisman? Probably not, given the dominance of Hunter and Jeanty. But a top five? No doubt.

Speaking of South Carolina’s playoff potential? Guilty as charged. The Gamecocks sit at 9-3, riding a six-game win streak that includes victories over heavy hitters like No. 21 Missouri and No. 20 Texas A&M. Sellers was selling tickets, putting up five touchdowns against Mizzou and orchestrating a gutsy comeback against the Aggies. College football expert Josh Pate summed it up best: “Had they lost one fewer game, South Carolina is in the thick of the playoff race right now.” If it wasn’t for the 2-point loss against Alabama on week 7, they’d be in playoff talk.

Sellers have brought life back into a Gamecocks program that was screaming irrelevance. As Josh Pate said, “I don’t think there are 12 teams playing better football right now than South Carolina.” Heisman or not, playoff-bound or not, one thing’s for sure—LaNorris Sellers is the real deal, and it’s about time college football acknowledges the kid.