South Carolina football wide receivers had a tough time as a position in 2020. There was a lot of blame for the offensive performance, but the group, at least outside Shi Smith, it was very disappointing.
Aside from Smith, no wide receiver on the list picked up more than 11 passes in the season, and that was Jalen Brooks, who was only able to play six games, as it took almost until the middle of the season to be released by the NCAA.
There were eight fellows on last season’s list who chose to spend the year Randrecous Davis and OrTre Smith chose to leave. By subtracting Shi Smith’s catch from the lot, Gamecocks recipients took 37 passes for 375 yards and two touchdowns.
Last season must have affected the group mentally, which added the freshman Sam Reynolds along with the Georgia Tech transfer Ahmarean Brown and San Francisco transfer EJ Jenkins for the position this spring. Davis and Smith are also back.
“You have to have the confidence to go out there and play,” the first year’s head coach Shane Beamer said. “We want, from a schematic point of view, to put these guys in a position where they know what they are doing and can play fast and not have to think, but that is any position.”
With Smith’s death, Gamecocks don’t really have a referral receiver coming back from last year’s team. This does not give Beamer much time to worry.
“I am excited about the wide receiver group. Number one, they have the best wide receivers trainer (Justin Stepp) in the country to train them, so I’m excited, ”said Beamer.
“Two, it’s a hungry group. I remember coming here in December and watching the rehearsal of a bowl we had before the decision was made not to play the game and I just remember thinking, ‘This is a really good group of receivers,’ in terms of to your size. We have guys with size, guys with strength, length, guys who can run. It is a new beginning for them, as well as everyone. It will be a competitive group. “
Gamecocks now have 13 scholarship recipients on the list and many of them are veterans. Nine of the players are junior or older. There is not only age, there are also numbers. With 13 fellows in charge and another one on the way in the summer, there are many numbers to guess.
And these wide receivers will also compete with the tight end for places on the field. If tight ends are the most productive position group, this can mean more players for that group on the field at each snap.
“You look at the total number of players in that position, it’s a very deep group for us compared to other positions on the team,” said Beamer. “There are a lot of guys who are going to compete to find out who our best players are. These guys are competing with the tight ends to see which tight ends intensify. We will be a team that plays with zero tight ends on the field or we will be a team that plays with three tight ends on the field. We have an offensive system that allows us to do this, to put our best players on the field, regardless of position.
“It will be an exciting competition on many points, especially in the wide receiver.”