South Carolina football options in the ’21 QB room.
Gamecocks are in a period of flux within the program, as the team is undergoing a coaching change. With this change of coach, several players decided to move away from Columbia, entering the transfer portal to find a new opportunity elsewhere.
This is no different for the quarterback room.
The South Carolina football program saw starters Ryan Hilinski and Collin Hill announce their intentions to leave the team, leaving Luke Doty as the only remaining caller with gaming experience. The new freshman Colten Gauthier will be the only other candidate to receive a scholarship.
With little depth or experience, Shane Beamer and the South Carolina technical team will need to reflect on all options to provide quality experience and create competition in the most important position on the football field.
These options consist of players currently within the Gamecocks quarterback room, a player who is now in a new position and possibilities on the transfer portal.
Let’s look at each of these options, starting with the most obvious.
Luke Doty returns as QB1; Gauthier provides depth
Doty ended his freshman season by starting the last two games of the year for the Gamecocks. In just two games of action, the rookie pitched for 405 yards and two touchdowns, completing 43 of his 71 attempts, and also launching three picks.
Doty’s best performance was against Missouri, where he almost took South Carolina back from a 17-0 deficit at halftime after entering the game to replace Collin Hill. In that game, Doty shot for 130 yards in the second half and added another 59 yards on the ground.
Doty followed up with a 190-yard game against Georgia.
Unfortunately, the Gamecocks lost Doty’s two games, but not all of that can befall the young caller. South Carolina fought hard, especially on the defensive side of the ball, with injuries and opt-outs, making it difficult for Doty to keep up with opponent attacks.
After showing promise in his three appearances, Doty will be the leader when the Gamecocks enter 2021.
Your backup may be freshman Colten Gauthier, who comes to Columbia as a four-star passer. Gauthier, who is already on campus after enrolling in January, shot for 2,052 yards and 22 scores in his senior year of high school.