Ad Disclosure
Shane Beamer comments on QB2 battle following South Carolina spring game
Published:
South Carolina has no reason to worry about its quarterback spot in 2025. The top job is settled; LaNorris Sellers is one of the top returning quarterbacks in the country and will start for the Gamecocks when healthy. After him, it seems South Carolina has a number of viable options for the QB2 job.
That battle, in fact, is wide open exiting the spring.
During Friday’s spring game, Luke Doty, Air Noland, Cutter Woods, Dante Reno, and walk-on Jimmy Francis all took snaps at quarterback. Doty led all passers with 10 completions on 12 attempts and threw the only touchdown pass of the day. He had 85 passing yards and 18 rushing yards for the Garnet team. Noland went 9-for-16 for 67 yards. Woods went 6-for-13 for 120 yards to lead the Black team.
(Sellers only threw 7 passes, completing 4 of them for 53 yards. His day was brief, as was to be expected.)
“Pleased with all those guys. They’ve all flashed and they’re all trending in the right direction,” coach Shane Beamer said after the game.
According to reports from the game — it was not televised — Doty and Woods stood out the most among the Gamecocks’ backup passers. Meanwhile, the difference between the 2 could not be more stark. Doty worked at receiver and on special teams over the last 2 years and is entering his sixth year with the program. Woods is a true freshman from Anderson.
“Certain guys, when the lights come on, they just elevate their games,” Beamer said. “And that’s Cutter Woods. He’s a winner.”
Woods scored the only other touchdown in the game, a 1-yard rushing score for the Black team’s only points of the game.
“He has a chance to be a really good player,” Beamer said. “He’s had a really good spring for us.”
When Noland, a blue-chip recruit from the 2024 class, transferred in from Ohio State this offseason, some felt he was a lock to be Sellers’s backup next season. That might not be the case. Beamer said Doty is absolutely in the conversation as well.
“Luke has had a really good spring. He is just a really good football player,” Beamer said. “He is a great teammate. He is a great leader. He makes our team better. Whether he is playing receiver, whether he is playing special teams, whether he is playing quarterback. He makes us better. I am glad he came back.
“… He can make plays. He is athletic. He is improving as a passer. He knows he has to improve there. He can get himself out of trouble. He’s an athlete and he can create. Most importantly, he has experience. The rest of that quarterback room is young. Dante Reno is in his second year in college. Air Noland is in his first year in college, counting his semester at Ohio State. Cutter Woods is in his first semester in college. Jimmy Francis is in his second year of college. Luke is in his sixth, not his first. He brings a loud confidence to the team. Excited to see what the next step is for him.”
Derek Peterson does a bit of everything, not unlike Taysom Hill. He has covered Oklahoma, Nebraska, the Pac-12, and now delivers CFB-wide content.
