South Carolina OC pours cold water on potential QB controversy

Redshirt freshman LaNorris Sellers was named South Carolina’s starting quarterback at the beginning of the season. Unfortunately, he suffered an injury in Week 3’s 36-33 loss to LSU and was unable to finish that game. He also didn’t play last week against Akron with redshirt senior Robby Ashford getting the start instead.

Ashford looked good, completing 15 of 21 passes for 243 yards and two touchdowns while rushing for 133 yards and another score. With a big game coming up against No. 12 Ole Miss, the natural question arose as to whether Ashford would give South Carolina the best opportunity to win.

Ashford would of course get the start if Sellers isn’t yet ready to return, but head coach Shane Beamer relayed on Tuesday that the young quarterback is looking good and healthy ahead of facing Ole Miss. Then, on Wednesday, offensive coordinator Dowell Loggains made it clear that as long as Sellers can go, there’s not going to be a quarterback controversy for South Carolina.

“LaNorris Sellers is our quarterback. I will say that,” Loggains said during his weekly news conference (h/t On3).

That’s not to say South Carolina doesn’t appreciate Ashford. The staff brought him in from Auburn this past offseason via the transfer portal for a reason. That’s why Loggains wasn’t surprised that the veteran balled out against Akron.

“That’s why we got Robby, because we wanted someone that’s experienced and they can come in and help this team,” Loggains explained. “He was playing some at quarterback even when LaNorris was healthy, so that tells you what we think about Robby that way. We expected him to play that way. He’s been a guy that’s played in SEC games and played well.”

Ultimately, this is Sellers’ job and he’s got a big task ahead of him against Ole Miss as long as he’s healthy enough to go. But South Carolina’s not going to apologize about having two starting-caliber quarterbacks.

“Competition creates pressure, and pressure defines who you are,” Loggains said. “It makes you the best version of yourself most of the time. So having two good players in that position really helps.”