LaNorris Sellers, the teenage quarterback phenom of the South Carolina Gamecocks, is making headlines for all the good reasons. To picture being a 19-year-old redshirt sophomore, just off a breakout campaign in which you piloted your team to a 9-4 mark, earned All-SEC and Freshman All-American recognition, and almost earned a trip to the College Football Playoff. Supposedly, someone offered Sellers a mind-blowing $8 million over two seasons to get out of South Carolina and don the colors for another school. That’s the type of offer that could turn anyone’s head.
Rather than following the money, Sellers decided to stay with the Gamecocks, citing the relationships he’s formed in Columbia, the convenience of being near his family, and the legacy he wishes to build at South Carolina. “I’ve played football my entire life for no pay,” Sellers said. “There’s no incentive for me to go elsewhere and start anew.” Sellers is currently coming off a season where he turned heads, broke records, and made Gamecock fans dream big. He’s got the legs—oh, does he ever. However, some aspects of his game still need work.
“The biggest key for me this fall is developing as a passer,” says Brad Crawford in the June 21 episode of HQ Spotlight on CBS Sports. “We know what LaNorris can do with his legs. He was phenomenal on third down; third and long was maybe his money comfort zone last season because he’d moved to Shane so many times for the Gamecocks, eluding sacks.”
Sellers ran for 674 yards and 7 touchdowns on the year, but it was how he did it, particularly in late-game situations, that made him stand out. There were games in which defenses knew exactly what was coming: third and long, a blitz, and Sellers in the shotgun. Against Clemson, he ran for 166 yards and two touchdowns, much of which was on scrambles and called plays when the Gamecocks needed a play.
All season long, Sellers made it a habit of making plays with his legs. In the bowl game against Illinois, he ran for 19 yards on 11 attempts, but a number of those were third-down attempts when he scrambled out of the pocket and gained important yardage. Against Texas A&M, he had a career day, running for 106 yards and a score, including numerous scrambles on third and long that kept the chains rolling. Crawford continues, “If he’s a first-round pick in 2026 like many have projected this off-season, it’ll be because of his arm, not his legs. He’s a dual threat, everyone knows that, but LaNorris Sellers has to develop as a downfield passer for that 2026 draft scout to hold some validity.”
Last year, Sellers had respectable numbers for a first-year starter, throwing around 66% of his passes for well over 2,500 yards and 18 touchdowns with only seven interceptions. Not bad at all, but the tape and the statistics indicate he still has work to do throwing down the field. But here’s the thing: while his legs took him out of trouble and into the spotlight, the murmurs from NFL scouts and college analysts are getting louder. If Sellers wishes to be a first-round selection in 2026, he needs to show that he can win with his arm, not his feet.
Shane Beamer’s Gamecocks faced exodus
As the 2025 season approaches, there is a cloud over Columbia. The Gamecocks are losing not just a couple of starters but bidding farewell to a crop of players who made last year’s success happen, and not only the NFL draft picks. “There were a lot of losses from last year’s team, and it’s not always even the NFL draft picks, as the stats go, but the number of players that were invited to the combine, the number of undrafted free agents there—there was just a huge amount of really talented players gone off last year’s 9 and 3 team,” Crawford says.
The team last season had a group of players who received invites to the NFL Combine, not to mention the few undrafted free agents who inked with pro clubs immediately after the draft. Even those who didn’t get drafted—guys like the starting safety, special teams specialists, and a couple of solid linemen—received pro day invites, and NFL teams signed them as UDFAs. That level of exodus is difficult for any program, but particularly for one like South Carolina that established its identity in depth and toughness.
Look now at the roster. There are still some pretty cool names—LaNorris Sellers returns, and there’s a combination of young receivers and running backs with potential—but the depth and established production simply aren’t what they were a year ago.
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