Gamecocks in the Trenches Working Hard to Keep QB Clean – University of South Carolina Athletics

Offensive linemen don’t get much attention unless they commit a penalty or give up a sack. With South Carolina redshirt sophomore quarterback LaNorris Sellers earning high praise at a national level, it may be a good thing if you don’t know the names of the Gamecocks playing up front at the end of each week, but that won’t discount the importance of what they’ll be doing.

“They worked really hard in the offseason to get stronger, change their bodies, and keep improving on technique,” said offensive line coach Lonnie Teasley. “I’m expecting them to have a big year, to play smart, and to play physical.”

“On the offensive line, we return so many guys, and we’ve recruited well,” said head coach Shane Beamer. “We bring back both of our offensive tackles with Cason Henry and Josiah Thompson. We also bring back two tackles who have played a lot with Tree Babalade and Jatavius Shivers. That’s four guys that have played a lot of football for us. We lost three guys from the interior of our offensive line, but we’ve recruited well. We’ve got depth and athleticism, and we need to come together and gel since they have not played a lot together.”

“We have a lot of people in the room, and the number one thing I see is that we’re all so versatile,” said senior center Nolan Hay. “A lot of us can play more than one position. I just love going out there and hitting people. It’s the one sport other than UFC and boxing where you are allowed to take over somebody else and move them against their will. It’s you versus somebody else.”

Last year, Sellers earned Freshman All-America, SEC Freshman of the Year, and Third Team All-SEC honors after throwing for 2,534 yards and 18 touchdowns while rushing for 674 yards and seven scores. Having a dual threat at quarterback is great, but what about for the guys trying to block for him who may not know where he is every time the ball is snapped?

“I wouldn’t say it’s a challenge,” Teasley said. “He’s going to make plays, and we’re going to do our best to keep him clean.”

“You definitely don’t always know where he is at any given time, but when you feel your guy moving one way or the other, you figure out where (Sellers) is going,” said redshirt junior offensive tackle Cason Henry. “I like moving people. That’s why I got into football in the first place. LaNorris is an interesting quarterback to block for because of that, but he makes my life easier in a lot of…