Gamecocks start spring practice, offer first look at offense under Dowell Loggains

Ben Portnoy
Dwayne McLemore/dmclemore@thestate.com

South Carolina’s third spring under head coach Shane Beamer is underway.

The Gamecocks held their first official practice of the spring on a chilly Tuesday morning in Columbia. Here’s a look at the sights and sounds from the day:

  • South Carolina linebacker Mo Kaba and defensive end Jordan Strachan didn’t practice on Tuesday. Both are recovering from torn ACLs that they suffered in a Week 2 loss at Arkansas last year. Kaba is expected to anchor the middle of the defense when healthy, while Strachan is among the few experienced options the Gamecocks have at edge heading into the spring.

  • Gamecocks offensive lineman Cason Henry and defense tackle Tonka Hemingway were also spotted along the sidelines with varying injuries. Henry had a compression sleeve on his right leg and used crutches to move around. Hemingway, who Beamer had previously said would miss time this spring, was on a scooter and had his left foot in a boot.

  • Running back Dante Miller was at practice on Tuesday, though his eligibility is unclear. Miller was slated to exhaust his eligibility last year after transferring from Columbia University. However, Beamer has left the door open to possibly getting another year out of the ex-Ivy League tailback.

  • Receiver Dakereon Joyner worked with the running backs during the brief portion of Tuesday’s practice that was open to reporters. Joyner worked through ball security drills alongside Juju McDowell and Newberry transfer Mario Anderson. The converted quarterback has spent the bulk of the last three years at receiver, but has been used as a wildcat runner in spurts.

  • Walk-on running back Bradley Dunn was the lone Gamecocks in a blue limited contact jersey on Tuesday. Dunn previously starred at Hammond during his prep career under ex-South Carolina quarterback Erik Kimrey.

  • South Carolina trotted out a first-team offense that included Jaylen Nichols at left tackle, Jakai Moore at left guard, Vershon Lee at center, Trai Jones at right guard and Tyshawn Wannamaker at right tackle. The first few skill position players on the field were quarterback Spencer Rattler, McDowell, Arkansas transfer tight end Trey Knox and receivers Antwane “Juice” Wells Jr., Xavier Legette and Ahmarean Brown.

  • The Gamecocks also showed off their first-team defense, which was missing Kaba and Strachan. The defensive line consisted of Alex Huntley, TJ Sanders, Terrell Dawkins and Tyreek Johnson. Stone Blanton and Debo Williams were at linebacker. The rest of the group was Nick Emmanwori, DQ Smith, Keenan Nelson, Marcellas Dial and O’Donnell Fortune. Freshman Grayson “Pup” Howard worked with the second-team defense at linebacker. Howard went through bowl practices with the Gamecocks before enrolling in January.

  • Dillon offensive lineman Josiah Thompson was at practice on Tuesday. Thompson is a high-priority, in-state recruiting target for the Gamecocks and has made numerous trips to USC for games, camps and practices. The 6-foot-6, 280-pound tackle is the No. 2-ranked player by the 247Sports Composite, which combines rankings of top recruiting services, and 63rd player overall in Class of 2023. The Gamecocks are one of Thompson’s six schools he released in January. The others are Clemson, Georgia, Alabama, Miami and Tennessee.

  • Thompson visited Clemson on Monday along with teammate Class of 2026 quarterback prospect Josiah Oxendine, who also was at USC on Tuesday. Oxendine has Power 5 offers from Pitt and Tennessee.

  • Charlotte Christian Class of 2024 receiver Micah Gilbert also was at practice with his family. Gilbert was offered by the Gamecocks back in 2021. The 6-foot-3 Gilbert is the No. 6 prospect in NC, according to 247Sports Composite. Gilbert caught 39 passes for 486 yards and six touchdowns last year.

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