Dowell Loggains is trying to recruit Spencer Rattler to return to the Gamecocks in 2023, but the new South Carolina offensive coordinator also has a vision for future quarterback recruits.

Loggains shared what he’s looking for at his introductory press conference on Wednesday in Columbia.

“With young people, one of the biggest things that sticks out, especially in today’s age of transfer portal, instant gratification, NIL, all those things, is emotional stability,” Loggains said. “You want a kid that’s emotionally tough, that’s been hard though things in their life because most of the time if you’ve been through hard things, then you’re willing to stick things out. Because you know everything in life is hard.”

Beyond that, it’s having a natural throwing motion because accuracy can be coached a “little bit” but it’s also God-given.

Loggains also prefers a player who can “play with a base” when the pocket collapses.

“There’s also the courage to staring down the barrel, you know someone’s coming, you know you’re going to get hit,” Loggains said. “It’s going to hurt, but it’s 3rd and 7 and it’s the fourth quarter in a big game in the SEC and you have to be able to hit the dig. You have to be able to throw that and sit in there.”

Loggains also brings his NFL background to evaluate mental makeup, and when he was an Arkansas assistant, he would talk with the trainer, student manager, counselor, teachers and even people at the convenience store.

“Can you handle the burden of being a quarterback in the SEC, you guys are hard on people, our fan bases are hard, all the fan bases, because it’s a heavy burden to wear the crown,” Loggains said. “You have to be able to handle that.”