by WILL FOLKS
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The University of South Carolina football program is close to inking a deal to retain the services of star quarterback LaNorris Sellers – a surprising development given his regression as a signal-caller during the recently concluded 2025 season.
“That’s the plan,” Sellers confirmed to reporter Jordan Kaye of The (Columbia, S.C.) State newspaper this week.
Sellers entered this year as a Heisman Trophy candidate and projected No. 1 overall draft pick – the clear leader of a talented team which cracked the Top Ten in early September and was viewed as a consensus College Football Playoff (CFP) contender.
The fall from those lofty heights was as swift as it was ignominious…
Head coach Shane Beamer‘s squad lost eight of its last ten games to finish 4-8 – missing out on bowl eligibility for the second time in the past three seasons. Driving the Gamecocks’ implosion was a positively putrid offense that ranked near the bottom of the barrel nationally in virtually every important metric – a free fall Beamer failed to address until it was too late.
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As for Sellers, he saw regression in every category following a breakout redshirt freshman campaign in 2024. The 6-foot-3, 245-pound dual-threat quarterback from Florence, S.C. completed 178 of 293 passes (60.8%) last season for 2,437 yards and 13 touchdowns – while getting picked off eight (8) times.
In 2024, Sellers threw for more yards (2,534), more completions (196), a higher completion percentage (65.6%), more touchdowns (18) and was picked off seven (7) times.
Sellers’ biggest regression came on the ground, though. In 2024 he carried the ball 166 times for 674 yards and seven (7) touchdowns. Last year, he gained just 270 yards on 149 carries with five (5) scores.
Nonetheless, ESPN’s Pete Thamel insisted Sellers would rate “among the sport’s most experienced and productive quarterbacks in 2026.”
The responsibility for Sellers’ development (or lack thereof) next season will fall to new offensive coordinator Kendal Briles – who was lured to Columbia from TCU as part of Beamer’s latest overhaul of the Gamecocks’ offensive coaching staff.
Briles was reportedly Sellers’ top choice to be his offensive coordinator given how closely his offensive schemes align with those of former Gamecock play-caller Dowell Loggains, who left after the 2024 season to become head coach at Appalachian State.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR…
Will Folks is the founding editor of the news outlet you are currently reading. Prior to founding FITSNews, he served as press secretary to the governor of South Carolina. He lives in the Midlands region of the state with his wife and eight children.
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2 comments
Nothing against Sellers – I hope he does stay – but in this post NIL and transfer portal era, and in watching all these coaches who say “I love it right where I am – I’m not going anywhere!” – and then 3 weeks later, POOF – they’re gone, all I can say is I’ll believe this when I see Sellers trot out on the field in August.
His agent must have secured his NIL increase for next year. Why go to the NFL when you can be cut at any moment when you can stay in college, make as much or more money guaranteed for the entire year no matter what level of effort you put out on the field. Next year’s opponents are rejoicing his decision to return for one more year.