Safe to say, the South Carolina Gamecocks did not have the season they were looking for in 2023.
Shane Beamer's squad lost a lot of starters from last season and have a lot of question marks. The Gamecocks lost quarterback Spencer Rattler and star receiver Xavier Legette as well as Ahmarean Brown. They'll also be looking for a new starting quarterback, with the favorite being redshirt freshman LaNorris Sellers.
The Gamecocks did have a good recruiting cycle. They had success on the recruiting trail by getting running back Rocket Sanders from Arkansas, quarterback Robby Ashford from Auburn, receiver Ahmari Huggins-Bruce from Louisville, defensive end Kyle Kennard from Georgia Tech, running back Jawarn Howell from South Carolina State, receiver Jared Brown from Coastal Carolina and a few more possible key players for the 2024 season.
All of those additions are great but South Carolina has had one huge problem really over the last 5 years and that is the line of scrimmage. The Gamecocks have struggled the last couple of seasons to run the ball and stop the run. They have been a bad team at running the ball and that results in putting a lot of pressure on the quarterback.
The Gamecocks had a lot of injuries on the offensive line last season, they need to keep their big men healthy. If the Gamecocks can not run the football and protect their quarterback it is going to be another disappointing season. The Gamecocks have a tough schedule so they will be tested up front.
The Gamecocks are getting some of those injured offensive line back and they also have the #1 offensive lineman from South Carolina who will be a freshman this fall in Kam Pringle. With those additions, they're hoping for better production in 2024.
The other side of the line scrimmage is the defensive line. South Carolina has struggled to stop the run for a long time, they finished 3rd to last in rush defense behind LSU and Vanderbilt in 2023.
The Gamecocks get some help from the transfer portal on defense with defensive end Kyle Kennard from Georgia Tech, defensive lineman DeAndre Jules from Pittsburgh, linebacker Bangally Kamara from Pittsburgh, linebacker Demetrius Knight from Charlotte, and a couple more. They've made an effort to improve their defensive line and linebacker and they will need those pieces to play well to stop the run.
The Gamecocks will live and die by the line of scrimmage in 2024. They have playmakers but they can not play well if the line of scrimmage does not handle their job. It will be interesting to see how Coach Beamer and the staff make adjustments to do a better job in 2024.