If you missed South Carolina’s redshirt freshman LaNorris Sellers last season, you missed the start of something special in college football. Last year, nobody expected Shane Beamer‘s squad to pull a 9-4. Not ESPN, and not even Fox. Sellers is the kind of problem defensive coordinators lose sleep over and head coaches build legacies around. But now, with the NCAA throwing its usual offseason shade, the only thing standing between Beamer and a legit Playoff push might be bureaucracy. And yet, Sellers might just be that QB who makes it all irrelevant.

On June 15th, J.D. PicKell didn’t hold back when he hopped on the On3 Podcast and broke down LaNorris Sellers’ offseason tape. “Look at my guy—just spinning the pill like a shady pharmacist,” Pickell laughed, pointing at Sellers’ throw across his body that had Gamecock nation in awe. “That throw right there? If he makes that throw consistently, Lord have mercy on the rest of college football.”

Pickell then pulled the curtain back on what the rest of the SEC might be too scared to say out loud: “We saw it multiple times last year against A&M and Clemson—he was ridiculous with the ball in his hands. But if he elevates his game to the point where he’s making those off-platform throws—rolling left, throwing back right downfield, and he’s got Nyckoles Harbor separating, he drops it on a dime. If he’s able to do that consistently, he’s the best player in college football. Full stop.” 

Sellers’ 2024 is equals to fireworks. His 2024 campaign saw him rack up 2,534 passing yards with 18 touchdowns, plus another 674 on the ground and 7 rushing scores. He lit up Missouri for 353 yards and five touchdowns like he had cheat codes, dismantled Texas A&M, and danced into the end zone to ice a win against Clemson with just over a minute left.

PicKell couldn’t stop singing ballads about Sellers: “He gives you that game-changing energy you got with the greats,” Pickell continued. “At 6’3”, 240 pounds, running like a deer and throwing like that? Who’s stopping that?” Not Alabama, who barely scraped by with a two-point win. Not LSU, who needed a miracle to edge out the Gamecocks by three. Sellers had South Carolina within two possessions of a College Football Playoff spot in a season that was supposed to be a reset year.

And that’s the point. This wasn’t supposed to be the year for Shane Beamer. It was supposed to be the warm-up. Instead, Sellers hijacked the narrative and made everyone sit up straight. Pickell doubled down: “If he’s that guy, there’s no defense for South Carolina… Book it. If he’s making throws like that, he’s the best player in college football, and South Carolina’s in the Playoff. I feel good saying that.”

Beamer’s got his guy. And that’s not just good news—it’s career-defining. For all the pressure on his shoulders entering 2024, Beamer now walks into the 2025 season with something no SEC coach not named Kirby or Saban had last year: the it factor at quarterback. Sellers isn’t just talented—he’s composed, polished, and unbothered by the moment. As Fox Sports analyst Joel Klatt put it, “If he can do anything remotely similar to what he did in the second half of last year for the entirety of this year, then we’ve got a star on our hands.” Shane Beamer knows he hit the jackpot with Sellers.

When asked about his QB, Beamer smiled like a man who saw his future: “He’s as grounded as can be.” That may be true, but the ceiling? It’s outer space. Let’s not forget, South Carolina was a two-possession swing away from chaos in the SEC. Sellers gives Beamer a second chance at rewriting the Gamecocks’ script.

Just when Beamer thought he had the blueprint laid out, the NCAA did what it does best—turn a smooth ride into pothole alley. The problem? Running back Rahsul Faison. The fix? Well, that’s where Beamer had to play lawyer, therapist, and recruiter all at once.

Shane Beamer clears big-time NCAA roadblock with strong move

Faison came into Columbia with a resume that screamed SEC-ready: 1,845 yards, 316 carries, and 13 touchdowns last season at Utah State. Before that? Juco grind. Snow College. Online enrollment at Lackawanna. Red-shirt at Marshall. The dude’s football passport is thick. But according to the NCAA, his eligibility clock is tapped out. They’re calling him a career senior. But Beamer’s camp?

“South Carolina sort of transfigured this signing class in the transfer portal around Faison in the gym,” said Brad Crawford on June 9. Beamer saw Faison as Rocket Sanders 2.0—an RB who could take over the RB room and keep the offense humming. Losing him now? That’s a punch to the gut.

But Beamer didn’t fold. He leaned on two backups who might just be built for the moment. First up: Oscar Adaway III. The North Texas transfer already had 2,000+ career yards and proved he could hold it down last season. When Rocket Sanders was out, Adaway dropped 106 all-purpose yards and a score in the Citrus Bowl. He’s been grinding in the shadows, and now he’s got the spotlight.

Then there’s Jawarn Howell. Big body. Bigger upside. Listed at 6’3, 225 lbs, Howell has that Derrick Henry build, minus the resume. He only saw four games last year, but the buzz around camp is real. “They feel real good about him,” said Crawford. And you get the sense that Beamer does too.

Still, none of that changes the Faison dilemma. The NCAA’s delay tactic is more than just red tape—it’s reshaping an entire offense on the fly. “The longer this extends into June, and then into SEC media days in July, and fall camp in August, it might not happen,” Crawford warned. And he’s not exaggerating. South Carolina is at the mercy of a bureaucratic glacier that’s moving way too slow.

But if there’s one silver lining, it’s that Beamer has matured in crisis. In 2022, this might’ve spiraled. Now? He’s got contingencies, leadership, and a QB that can mask a lot of flaws. With Sellers leading the charge and Adaway ready to run angry, the Gamecocks still have juice. If Faison clears, it’s a bonus. If not? Beamer’s Plan B isn’t looking half-bad.