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SEC coaches say its CFP or bust for South Carolina in 2025
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The Gamecocks are all-in on the 2025 season.
Shane Beamer signed a top-15 transfer class and a top-25 overall recruiting class this offseason. South Carolina plugged holes and retained its top talent. Heading into the fall, there are stars on both sides of the football. The result? Expectations are as high as ever.
“The expectations are going to be sky-high for these guys. If they can continue to get that level of production from their defensive front and run the ball effectively, that’s still the best, most reliable way to win games in this league,” said one anonymous SEC coach to Athlon Sports.
As it does every year, Athlon granted anonymity to various coaches around the league and asked them to shed some light on each team. Beamer’s peers across the footprint all recognize what the ultimate goal is in Columbia this fall. If the Gamecocks don’t make the College Football Playoff, it’ll be seen as a disappointment.
“They’re going to be loaded this year because they’ve brought in portal players to compliment [sic.] the defense,” one coach said to Athlon. “I think the mentality here is that they know they’ve got 1 season to break through with [LaNorris] Sellers before he’s gone, and they’re going to build the best roster they can in the short term.”
Added another: “It’s playoff or bust for these guys because they’re going to lose their best pieces at the end of the season.”
Sellers is the straw that stirs the drink. Even before the season kicks off, he’s getting first-round buzz for next year’s NFL Draft. His first season as a starter featured some remarkable moments — 166 rushing yards, 164 passing yards, and 2 scores against Clemson, just to highlight one — and the ceiling appears to be the roof for the Florence native.
In 2024, Sellers threw for 2,534 yards with 18 touchdowns against 7 interceptions. He ran for another 674 yards and he completed 65.6% of his passes.
South Carolina had one of the more tenacious defensive fronts in the country on the other side. According to Game on Paper, the Gamecocks ranked 17th nationally in opponent-adjusted EPA per play allowed. The defense had very few flaws.
One coach pointed to the running back spot as a lingering question mark. Rocket Sanders needs to be replaced after running for 881 yards and 11 scores a year ago. Beamer added coveted Utah State transfer Rahsul Faison in the portal, but he’s still waiting for an eligibility ruling from the NCAA and has hired a lawyer to try and expedite the process.
South Carolina begins its season against Virginia Tech in Atlanta on Sunday, Aug. 31. It’ll hope to have Faison’s status sorted out by then. SEC play begins 2 weeks later and then it’s all hands on deck.
DraftKings has the South Carolina win total set at just 7.5 for the upcoming season. We’ll see what South Carolina’s odds to make the Playoff look like when the season gets a bit closer, but DraftKings currently lists the Gamecocks at 50/1 to win the national title.
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.
