Shane Beamer is confident that South Carolina has plenty of options at quarterback despite Luke Doty’s foot injury and absence for the foreseeable future.

In fact, when Beamer discussed the injury to his starting quarterback, he shared that Jason Brown, the St. Francis transfer, redshirt sophomore Connor Jordan and freshman Colten Gauthier aren’t the only possibilities. He made sure to put a wrinkle in the minds of opposing defensive coordinators preparing for the Gamecocks to start the season.

“There is no reason to hide it,” Beamer said. “Let’s (give these opposing teams) something to work for. Dakereon Joyner worked a little bit at quarterback today. He may play some quarterback in the first game. Eastern Illinois, East Carolina, Georgia, whoever we play before Luke gets back, be ready because we have that element in our offense also.”

Joyner, of course, has played QB before for the Gamecocks after injuries to other QBs no longer on the roster, and offers a running threat from the pocket.

It is unclear who will be named started and when, but Beamer understands he wants to keep all options on the table.

“We’re nowhere near that point (of naming a starter),” Beamer said. “(Jason) got reps, but Colton and Connor got a bunch of reps today and did a lot of really good things. We’ll watch the video as a staff, see how guys played. We play in three weeks and a whole lot can happen until Sept. 4.”