Last season was a very bad year for college football teams from the state of South Carolina. Clemson was woefully disappointing, as the preseason top-five team barely made it into the postseason with a 7-6 record. The USC Gamecocks were not as lucky, finishing the year with a 4-8 record, including going 1-7 in the SEC despite being listed as a potential league contender before the season.   There were a lot of changes in the offseason to the Gamecocks’ coaching staff, though head coach Shane Beamer held onto his job, barely.

One of the changes included hiring Kendal Briles as offensive coordinator after three productive seasons at TCU. Briles’ top priority is getting LaNorris Sellers back on top of his game.

Sellers was brilliant as a redshirt freshman in 2024; last August I tweeted he should be the 2026 draft’s first pick. Yet Sellers’ game went in reverse last year; he was indecisive, inaccurate and showed a lack of poise in too many situations. Sellers has the physical skills to be a franchise quarterback, as he’s a big athlete with an amazing arm and the ability to beat opponents running both inside and outside. And while Sellers flashed those skills occasionally in 2025, there was too much inconsistency and just bad play from the signal-caller.

Scouts I’ve spoken with are still very high on Sellers, ranking him as QB3 on the pecking order of draft-eligible signal-callers for 2027. I’ll take a wait-and-see approach and hope 2025 was a one-off poor year for the talented quarterback.

South Carolina signed Jacarrius Peak with the hopes of upgrading the left tackle spot. The former North Carolina State offensive lineman is athletic, nimble, and does a great job in pass protection. He lacks great size, but he’s effective blocking on the move. Though his college position is tackle, Peak will receive consideration at guard from teams as we move towards the draft.

Dylan Stewart is one of the few USC players who did not disappoint last season; rather built upon his terrific freshman campaign. Stewart is a true edge rusher in every sense of the word, as he’s athletic, fast, and incredibly nimble. He rushes the edge with speed as well as intensity, plays with great balance, and makes plays in every direction. Stewart needs to add weight to his long frame, which will help improve his run defense, but he comes with great upside. Several scouts tell me they grade only Jeremiah Smith higher than Stewart as a next-level prospect.

South Carolina has a long history of putting quality defensive backs into the early rounds of the draft, and Vicari Swain is next. Swain is sized well, explosive, and displays a ton of ball skills. He’s also a game-changing return specialist, which adds to his draft value.