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COLUMBIA — South Carolina football held its second preseason practice on Aug. 8 at the Long Family Football Operations Center.
Weekend practices tend to bring some visitors. Coach Shane Beamer was joined by his son, Hunter. Starting quarterback LaNorris Sellers and wide receiver Jayden Sellers' dad, Norris, was watching practice from the sideline as well.
Reporters were able to observe the first five periods of practice, which consisted of warmups and position drills. The players will not be in full pads until Aug. 14.
South Carolina's season opener is Sept. 5 (12:45 p.m. ET, SEC Network) against Kent State in Williams-Brice Stadium.
Here's what we saw at practice No. 2.
Jacarrius Peak was not visible at practice for the second straight day, but Dylan Stewart was. Like Day 1, Stewart was wearing a jersey and shorts, off to the side and wasn't participating in any drills.
Peak was projected as a key part of South Carolina's new offensive line when he transferred from NC State, but a month after he got to Columbia, he hurt his knee in a team-related basketball game in February.
He missed the entire spring. Stewart used the spring to recover from a nagging back injury that started midway through last season.
The last two years, Beamer has had a position battle for his starting kicker but in both those seasons, a fifth-year player who hadn't played before won the job.
That could change this year, with players like Texas Tech transfer Upton Bellenfant in the mix. Bellenfant, Malik Orsan and Max Kelley were all splitting reps. Orsan is a Southeast Missouri State transfer but did not play during his freshman season. Kelley handled South Carolina kickoffs as a freshman 2025 but is now focusing on place-kicking.
Based on practice so far, there's no clear indication of a front-runner.
Sellers has plenty of options in the receiving room this year, led by Nyck Harbor. But when going through drills, it didn't look like there was a dropoff when Sellers was throwing to other options.
Sellers had a nice pass to freshman Sequel Patterson, who could very well jump high in the depth chart if he has a good August.
Oklahoma transfer Jayden Gibson has not played since the end of the 2023 season because of a knee injury but didn't look slow or behind during drills. He was moving well.
Texas transfer running back Christian Clark looked good going through drills. The junior caught passes from all four quarterbacks and showed his strength and speed. He hasn't been named the No. 1 option as that position battle is open, but he seemed like he was dialed in during the drills media watched.
New running backs coach Stan Drayton said his players have two jobs, protect the football and protect the quarterback. Pro Football Focus graded Clark the fourth-highest on Texas for run blocking last year (71.7).
Freshman Julian Walker towers over many teammates in practice. Though he's listed as 6-foot-6 on the roster, he told reporters that he grew a half-an-inch over the summer.
Walker has a chance to prove himself and potentially win that second edge rusher spot. He looked strong and focused when running through drills, and didn't appear to have any rookie jitters or lack of execution.
Lulu Kesin covers South Carolina athletics for The Greenville News and the USA TODAY Network. Email her at [email protected]. Follow her on X@Lulukesin and Bluesky@bylulukesin.bsky.social
This article originally appeared on Greenville News: What we saw at South Carolina football practice from LaNorris Sellers to potential RB1
Continue reading...
Weekend practices tend to bring some visitors. Coach Shane Beamer was joined by his son, Hunter. Starting quarterback LaNorris Sellers and wide receiver Jayden Sellers' dad, Norris, was watching practice from the sideline as well.
Reporters were able to observe the first five periods of practice, which consisted of warmups and position drills. The players will not be in full pads until Aug. 14.
South Carolina's season opener is Sept. 5 (12:45 p.m. ET, SEC Network) against Kent State in Williams-Brice Stadium.
Here's what we saw at practice No. 2.
South Carolina football injury report: Day 2 of 2026 preseason practice
Jacarrius Peak was not visible at practice for the second straight day, but Dylan Stewart was. Like Day 1, Stewart was wearing a jersey and shorts, off to the side and wasn't participating in any drills.
Peak was projected as a key part of South Carolina's new offensive line when he transferred from NC State, but a month after he got to Columbia, he hurt his knee in a team-related basketball game in February.
He missed the entire spring. Stewart used the spring to recover from a nagging back injury that started midway through last season.
South Carolina kicking competition wide open
The last two years, Beamer has had a position battle for his starting kicker but in both those seasons, a fifth-year player who hadn't played before won the job.
That could change this year, with players like Texas Tech transfer Upton Bellenfant in the mix. Bellenfant, Malik Orsan and Max Kelley were all splitting reps. Orsan is a Southeast Missouri State transfer but did not play during his freshman season. Kelley handled South Carolina kickoffs as a freshman 2025 but is now focusing on place-kicking.
Based on practice so far, there's no clear indication of a front-runner.
LaNorris Sellers building chemistry with many wide receivers
Sellers has plenty of options in the receiving room this year, led by Nyck Harbor. But when going through drills, it didn't look like there was a dropoff when Sellers was throwing to other options.
Sellers had a nice pass to freshman Sequel Patterson, who could very well jump high in the depth chart if he has a good August.
Oklahoma transfer Jayden Gibson has not played since the end of the 2023 season because of a knee injury but didn't look slow or behind during drills. He was moving well.
Christian Clark looks like a leader in the running back room
Texas transfer running back Christian Clark looked good going through drills. The junior caught passes from all four quarterbacks and showed his strength and speed. He hasn't been named the No. 1 option as that position battle is open, but he seemed like he was dialed in during the drills media watched.
New running backs coach Stan Drayton said his players have two jobs, protect the football and protect the quarterback. Pro Football Focus graded Clark the fourth-highest on Texas for run blocking last year (71.7).
Julian Walker grew. Could he start with or without Dylan Stewart?
Freshman Julian Walker towers over many teammates in practice. Though he's listed as 6-foot-6 on the roster, he told reporters that he grew a half-an-inch over the summer.
Walker has a chance to prove himself and potentially win that second edge rusher spot. He looked strong and focused when running through drills, and didn't appear to have any rookie jitters or lack of execution.
Lulu Kesin covers South Carolina athletics for The Greenville News and the USA TODAY Network. Email her at [email protected]. Follow her on X@Lulukesin and Bluesky@bylulukesin.bsky.social
This article originally appeared on Greenville News: What we saw at South Carolina football practice from LaNorris Sellers to potential RB1
Continue reading...
