Why Dakereon Joyner emphatically co-signs on USC decision to start QB LaNorris Sellers

Dakereon Joyner believes South Carolina football has found its starting quarterback — not only for this season, but for the next several years.

Gamecocks coach Shane Beamer announced Tuesday that redshirt freshman LaNorris Sellers would be the starting quarterback for their opener against Old Dominion on Aug. 31. Sellers had been competing with senior transfer QB Robby Ashford for the team’s starting spot during the preseason.

“I believe he is our generational quarterback,” Joyner said Tuesday night in speaking at The State’s inaugural Gamecock Kickoff event at Seawell’s in Columbia. “I pray coach Shane Beamer and (offensive coordinator) Dowell Loggains are patient with him. I encourage you guys (fans) to be patient with him. … He is not perfect. He is young. But he is the guy that is our generational quarterback.

“He is going to take us to places we haven’t been previously. But just be patient with him. Give him a chance. Don’t write him off so quick.”

Joyner, a former Mr. Football for the state of South Carolina , played three different positions at USC and was a popular figure on the team and among fans before graduating and exhausting his eligibility last season.

Like Joyner, Sellers arrived a college in as a highly touted quarterback coming out of South Florence High, where he led the school to its first state championship. He was committed to Virginia and later Syracuse before the Gamecocks landed him late in the December signing period in 2022.

Sellers spent last season behind Spencer Rattler, who was taken by the New Orleans Saints in the fifth round of the NFL Draft. He appeared in three games, and Gamecocks fans got a glimpse into Sellers’ skill set.

In his debut against Furman, he went 4-for-4 passing and led the Gamecocks to a pair of scoring drives. Sellers improvised on one play and threw a 50-yard touchdown pass to freshman receiver Tyshawn Russell.

Joyner said Sellers showed those same flashes of his potential in practice last season and that big things are ahead for him and USC’s program.

“Everybody who played last year was waiting for this moment for him. We knew how talented he is and an extremely humble guy,” Joyner said. “He is one of the most talented guys I have ever been around at the quarterback position. He is a guy that is very electric and is going to make a lot of plays. …

“He is prepared and he is ready, super electric. He is going to be a lot of excitement to the stadium. I am excited to see him play. I saw him every day in practice make plays. I am just ready for the world to see him.”