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The major takeaways as South Carolina reveals first football depth chart for 2024 season

jordan kaye
·3 min read

The South Carolina Gamecocks have issued an official depth chart for the 2024 season and this Saturday’s opening game against the Old Dominion Monarchs (4:15 p.m.).

Here are a few observations about the initial depth chart:

1. It may be a surprise to some that Nyck Harbor isn’t starting for the Gamecocks in his sophomore season. As we mentioned earlier this month, the coaches felt like Harbor still had a ways to go in developing as a wide receiver, a process that was delayed by Harbor running track in the spring.

2. The offensive line is packed with new faces. I expect true freshman Josiah Thompson (LT) and Torricelli Simpkins (RG) to be the first ones out there on Saturday, which would mean three of the five O-line starters are newcomers. Huge credit to Thompson, the five-star from Dillon High, for gaining over 30 pounds and adjusting the college game in no time.

3. There’s a little surprise that five-star freshman Dylan Stewart didn’t get a starting nod. I had heard he was disruptive in the Gamecocks’ August scrimmages and thought he’d start Week 1. But it likely won’t matter — the edge rushers are going to rotate every few plays and Stewart will see the field plenty.

4. This depth chart had 16(!) “ORs,” basically meaning the South Carolina coaching staff isn’t ready to officially designate someone as the clear-cut starter or backup. One of the wide receiver spots had four guys listed as the possible starter. And the starting cornerback spot opposite O’Donnell Fortune — one of the biggest position battles of the preseason — is now a battle between Judge Collier and Vicari Swain.

5. South Carolina finally found a kicker — Hallelujah! The Gamecocks named sixth-year senior Alex Herrera the starting kicker after some early news out of camp that no one was hitting any field goals. Herrera was the favorite since Mitch Jeter transferred to Notre Dame but has never attempted a collegiate field goal. Herrera will also handle kickoffs.

6. Senior running back Juju McDowell will be South Carolina’s starting kickoff and punt returner. While he has never returned a punt, McDowell has returned 24 career kickoffs for the Gamecocks (including four last season) and is averaging over 22 yards per return. Perhaps more notably, Harbor is listed as the backup kick returner and Miami (OH) transfer wide out Gage Larvadain is slotted as the backup punt returner.

The depth chart

Starters listed first with backups in parenthesis

——OFFENSE——

  • QB: LaNorris Sellers (Robby Ashford)

  • RB: Raheim “Rocket” Sanders (Juju McDowell OR Oscar Adaway III)

  • TE: Joshua Simon (Michael Smith)

  • TE: Brady Hunt (Maurice Brown II)

  • WR: Jared Brown (Nyck Harbor OR Dalevon Campbell)

  • WR: Gage Larvadain OR Mazeo Bennett OR Payton Mangrum OR Luke Doty

  • WR: Vandrevius Jacobs (Tyshawn Russell)

  • LT: Josiah Thompson OR Tree Babalade

  • LG: Kamaar Bell (Markee Anderson)

  • C: Vershon Lee (Ryan Brubaker)

  • RG: Torricelli Simpkins III OR Trovon Baugh

  • RT: Cason Henry (Jatavius Shivers)

——DEFENSE——

  • EDGE: Kyle Kennard OR Gilber Edmond (Desmond Umeozulu)

  • EDGE: Jatius Geer OR Bryan Thomas Jr. (Dylan Stewart)

  • DT: Tonka Hemingway OR T.J. Sanders (Monkell Goodwine)

  • DT: Alex Huntley (Nick Barrett OR DeAndre Jules)

  • MLB: Bam Martin-Scott OR Demetrius Knight Jr. (Fred “JayR” Johnson)

  • WLB: Debo Williams (Bangally Kamara/Mohamed Kaba)

  • NICK: Jalon Kilgore (Kelvin Hunter OR Jalewis Solomon)

  • CB1: O’Donnell Fortune (Emory Floyd OR David Spaulding)

  • CB2: Judge Collier OR Vicari Swain

  • SS: DQ Smith (Peyton Williams)

  • FS: Nick Emmanwori (David Bucey OR Gerlad Kilgore)

——SPECIAL TEAMS——

  • PK: Alex Herrera (Mason Love/William Joyce)

  • P: Kai Kroeger (Mason Love)

  • LSN: Hunter Rogers (Cole Rasmussen)

  • H: Kai Kroeger (Mason Love)

  • KOR: Juju McDowell (Nyck Harbor)

  • PR: Juju McDowell (Gage Larvadain)