Throw all of South Carolina’s best receivers into a hat.
In you go, Vandrevius Jacobs and Dalevon Campbell. In you go, Jared Brown and Gage Larvadain. And you go, Nyck Harbor and Mazeo Bennett. Luke Doty can join in too.
OK, shuffle it for a few seconds and pull out a name.
This will be South Carolina’s best receiver this season… Probably. Possibly. Maybe.
Nobody knows – that’s the point. Trying to break down this wide receiver room is an endeavor that puts you back in the hat when it comes to prediction. Why couldn’t Bennett, the freshman, be the best receiver? Or Larvadain, who transferred from Miami (Ohio). Or Harbor, one of the fastest football players in America?
The truth is, South Carolina doesn’t have a single receiver who has proven he can be great in the SEC. It seems impossible right now to figure out which of these seven guys will reach Xavier Legette status — or at least something close to it.
Even the South Carolina coaches can’t think of a name.
“To be completely honest, no one has stood out from the pack,” offensive coordinator Dowell Loggains said. “It’s probably going to be more of a committee decision than last year.”
Chances are this is a good thing.
Last season, Legette was the star. He was sensational, catching 71 passes for 1,255 yards and scoring seven touchdowns. But South Carolina was otherwise lacking. The No. 2 spot on South Carolina’s pass receiving charts last year was tight end Trey Knox…who had nearly 1,000 yards. fewer as Legette. Of course, South Carolina finished 5-7 and missed a bowl game.
The point: Having a first-round wide receiver means nothing if he’s all alone.
So maybe it doesn’t matter that South Carolina will use wide receivers at their discretion to replace Legette’s production. Or maybe the Gamecocks won’t rely on their wide receivers to completely fill the void.
The more South Carolina coaches talk, the more they rave about the tight ends on their roster.
It starts with returner Joshua Simon, who had 28 catches for over 250 yards last season. Then it continues with Ball State transfer Brady Hunt, who is 6’5″, 250 pounds and knows how to play in a pro offense. And of course the freshman. True freshman Michael Smith arrived on campus this summer and already looks like he could be one of the greatest playmakers in passingOther tight ends – namely Maurice Brown II and Connor Cox – could also be used.
“I feel like we have the best group – we have the right space, a coach on the team,” Simon said. “We all have fun there and we encourage each other and push each other every day.”
When asked if the tight ends could play a better role in the offense this season, Loggains disagreed. Which is fair — South Carolina had the third-most tight end yards in the SEC last season (Georgia was No. 1. Ole Miss was No. 2), getting solid performances from Trey Knox and Simon.
Loggains loves using tight ends. He did it in the NFL. He does it at South Carolina. And he will do it as long as he coaches.
“The really good teams control the middle of the field, and they do that with their running backs and tight ends,” he said. “That will always be an important position for us.”
This season, however, it could be a position that is desperately needed.
“As far as putting two tight ends on the field at the same time, absolutely,” said head coach Shane Beamer. “They’re not just the big, prototypical tight ends who are big guys who can block. They can also help us in the passing game.”
