Gamecocks get a glimpse into future courtesy of LaNorris Sellers, freshman faces

LaNorris Sellers experienced an adrenaline rush while taking the field for his first college home game.

The University of South Carolina freshman quarterback couldn’t really see through his glasses as the team came out of the tunnel for its “2001” entrance at Williams-Brice Stadium before Saturday night’s game against Furman.

But long after the initial hoopla faded, Sellers saw game action for the first time, turning in quite the debut and becoming one of the many bright spots during the Gamecocks’ 47-21 win over the Paladins.

Sellers, who led South Florence High School to its first state championship in December, entered the game Saturday in the third quarter and led the Gamecocks to a pair of scoring drives. He improvised on one play and threw a 50-yard touchdown pass to freshman Tyshawn Russell that gave the Gamecocks a 40-14 lead.

“My thought was to not force anything and play the play out,” Sellers said of the touchdown. “I was supposed to stick to one side, but I felt like I had time and came back to Tyshawn and it worked.

“Tonight was a little nerve-wracking, but I was excited. Before I went in, they said to do what I was taught.”

Sellers finished 4-for-4 passing for 86 yards and two touchdowns. He was the highest ranked Gamecock from the game, according to Pro Football Focus an analytic tool that grades college football and NFL games.

Sellers finished with grade of 94.7 in the 11 snaps he played.

Gamecocks coach Shane Beamer liked what he saw from the freshman, who the Gamecocks were able to flip from Syracuse late in the recruiting process. He and other USC players raved about Sellers’ work ethic and talent that he’s has displayed since he arrived on campus in January.

“That throw he had was pretty dang impressive,” Beamer said. “Dowell Loggains was on the head phones saying, ‘Just run it! Run it!’ Then he rears back and throws that thing and I thought it was going to go to the Cockpit (student section) but Tyshawn comes out of nowhere and makes the catch.

“He is a gamer. The moment is not too big for him. He came off the field, he was giddy. He was excited.”

Sellers was mobbed by his teammates, including starting quarterback Spencer Rattler, who had high praise of the freshman.

“That was a dime, 60-yard rope,” Rattler said. “I didn’t expect that. We all knew he had a cannon. He had a great game, happy for him.”

Sellers was one of the many freshmen who were able to contribute to Saturday’s win.

It started early as freshman Jalon Kilgore started in place of Nick Emmanwori in the secondary. Tree Babalade and Trovon Baugh stepped in and played along the offensive line, which was much maligned in the opening loss to North Carolina.

Then there was Russell, who had the big touchdown catch from Sellers, and five-star prospect Nyck Harbor, who snagged a 7-yard touchdown from the QB on the next drive.

Sellers and Harbor were two of the headliners from South Carolina’s 2023 recruiting class that ranked 16th nationally.

Beamer said Harbor came off the field telling him how appreciative he was of him and the rest of the Gamecocks coaches.

Running back Djay Braswell also saw his first action and rushed for 17 yards.

Xzavier McLeod, the 2022 S.C. Mr. Football, got in the game late after not making the trip to Charlotte for the UNC game. McLeod intercepted a pass on a ball tipped by Terrell Dawkins.

“We have been rough on him because we know he could be great,” USC linebacker Debo Williams said of McLeod.

All the reps for the true freshmen will only help the Gamecocks as they look to build depth going into their Southeastern Conference schedule starting next week. It also didn’t hurt to be able to play a lot of freshmen in the game with several potential recruits looking on in the stands.

“We’ve got a lot of good young players that will continue to get better each and every game,” Beamer said. “The other thing I loved was that we had some elite high school juniors and seniors that were here tonight sitting in that corner section by our tunnel.

“Couldn’t be more excited how recruiting is going right now, and we are a young team that will continue to get better each and every week.”