Episode Details

Is South Carolina football being underrated heading into the 2026 season?

With kickoff less than 10 days away, J.C. Shurburtt of GamecockCentral and Inside the Gamecocks joins Chris Marler on Locked On Gamecocks to break down South Carolina's projected depth chart, the biggest surprises from preseason camp and why expectations for Shane Beamer's team might need to be even higher.

J.C. explains why South Carolina's talented freshman class has been one of the biggest stories of fall camp, including immediate contributions from Noah Clark, J'Zavien Currence, Kosci Barnes and Sequel Patterson.

The guys also dive into a South Carolina wide receiver room that suddenly looks loaded with options. DJ Black has emerged as one of the biggest breakout players of camp, while Mazeo Bennett, Nyck Harbor, Sequel Patterson, Nitro Tuggle and Donovan Murph give LaNorris Sellers and Kendal Briles plenty of weapons.

But the biggest question remains up front.

Can South Carolina finally fix its offensive line?

With Jacarrius Peak returning and several new pieces joining the rotation, J.C. explains why this year's offensive line looks different from the groups that struggled over the past few seasons — and why even average SEC offensive line play could dramatically raise the ceiling of the Gamecocks offense.

Chris and J.C. also break down the crowded running back battle featuring Matt Fuller, Christian Clark, Jawarn Howell, Isaiah Augustave and Jabri Coleman, along with several position battles that could continue into the opening weeks of the season.

Then J.C. delivers his biggest prediction for South Carolina in 2026:

A 7-5 season would be disappointing.

Is this really Shane Beamer's best roster at South Carolina? And if LaNorris Sellers thrives in Kendal Briles' offense, just how high is the ceiling for the Gamecocks?

Chris closes the show by reacting to the Locked On Top 100 College Football Players, including the rankings of Sellers and Dylan Stewart — and why Nyck Harbor and Gabriel Brownlow-Dindy deserved much more respect.

Topics include:

South Carolina's projected 2026 depth chart
Biggest surprises from preseason camp
DJ Black's breakout
Mazeo Bennett's emergence
Sequel Patterson and the freshman class
J'Zavien Currence vs. David Bucey
South Carolina's improved secondary depth
Matt Fuller emerging at running back
The Gamecocks' deep RB rotation
Can the offensive line finally turn things around?
Jacarrius Peak's importance
LaNorris Sellers and Kendal Briles
J.C. Shurburtt's bold South Carolina prediction
Why 7-5 could be disappointing
Dylan Stewart's national ranking
Where Sellers ranks among college football's best players

Subscribe to Locked On Gamecocks for daily South Carolina football coverage, recruiting news, analysis, SEC football and everything surrounding Shane Beamer and the Gamecocks.

#SouthCarolina #Gamecocks #SouthCarolinaFootball #GamecocksFootball #LaNorrisSellers #ShaneBeamer #DylanStewart #SECfootball #CollegeFootball #LockedOnGamecocks

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