LaNorris Sellers gives game ball to Frank Beamer after South Carolina’s win over Virginia Tech
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LaNorris Sellers showed on Sunday that he has heart on the field and off it.
The redshirt sophomore sensation did it again for South Carolina on the field, directing a 24-11 season-opening victory for the No. 13 Gamecocks over Virginia Tech on a neutral field in Atlanta. Sellers had a phenomenal freshman season last fall, so a lot was expected of him this season. He delivered that on Sunday, only completing 12 of 19 passes but throwing for 209 yards with 1 scintillating touchdown pass in the fourth quarter and 0 interceptions on the day.
He also had a 15-yard touchdown run early in the first quarter to set the tone for the Gamecocks. It was early, but Sellers showed the moxie with his legs that he flashed last fall.
But what about what happened late — as in after the game was over, as players were shaking hands and wishing each other well for the rest of the season? That’s when Sellers made perhaps his best play of the day, carrying a football in his hand and looking for someone special.
That special someone was none other than Frank Beamer, the legendary head coach at Virginia Tech. It was a weird situation for Beamer, because his son, Shane Beamer, happens to be the head coach at South Carolina. So, the elder Beamer, who is now 78, was watching his beloved Hokies, who he coached from 1987 to 2015, play the program his son now leads. Call it the Beamer Bowl, and Sellers had something really cool for Frank. It was that game ball, which Sellers presented to Beamer, who went a remarkable 238-121-2 during his time in Blacksburg.
Here is the video of that special moment between Sellers and Frank Beamer:
Sellers will no doubt author many more special moments for South Carolinians in 2025, but he couldn’t have started the season out any better, in multiple ways.
Cory Nightingale, a former sportswriter and sports editor at the Miami Herald and Palm Beach Post, is a South Florida-based freelance writer who covers Alabama for SaturdayDownSouth.com.
