SEC Dark Horse Names Starting Quarterback For 2024 Season

The decision is made at quarterback for Shane Beamer and the South Carolina Gamecocks headed into the 2024 college football season.

Redshirt freshman LaNorris Sellers, a Florence, South Carolina, native, will lead the Gamecocks in the season opener against Old Dominion on Aug. 31, Beamer announced on Tuesday.

Beamer naming Sellers the starter doesn't come as a surprise after the fourth-year head coach labeled Sellers as the starter entering the summer. The former four-star recruit beat out Auburn transfer Robby Ashford for the starting nod and will issue in a new era in Columbia following the departure of NFL draft pick Spencer Rattler.

Sellers (6-foot-3, 242 pounds) provides a mix of passing and running ability in a physical frame. He appeared in three games as a true freshman in 2023, completing all of his four passes for 86 yards and two touchdowns. Sellers also recorded five carries for 51 yards and a score on the ground.

He signed with South Carolina as the No. 17 QB in the class of 2023, per 247Sports.

Sellers provides a much different skillset than that of Rattler, who passed for 3,186 yards with 19 touchdowns to eight interceptions as a senior. The Gamecocks finished 5-7 on the season.

While Rattler, now with the New Orleans Saints, developed into a commendable pocket passer, Sellers has the ability to pull the ball down for big gains using his feet. That should add another wrinkle to the offense under Beamer and first-year coordinator Dowell Loggains.

Sellers' first collegiate start against Old Dominion is set for Aug. 31 at 4:15 p.m. ET in Williams-Brice Stadium (SEC Network).

Related: Kirby Smart Reveals Untimely Setbacks For Georgia Weeks Before Season Opener