Athlon Sports' recent predictions and preview article of South Carolina football show several upcoming challenges.

After Carolina suffered hard losses to their defense, Shane Beamer and new coordinator Dowell Loggains will rely on Spencer Rattler and the offense to lead the team.

Athlon said Nick Emmanwori, who was a star player as a freshman in 2022, will help create a strong secondary for the Gamecocks but there are a lot of gaps in the defensive line that South Carolina needs to fill before the start of the season.

Athlon Sports believes that South Carolina will struggle in the running back position with only one main contender for the position. Rattler returning to South Carolina for another season was a major win for the offense.

The preview also had a bit to say about the run game, “Junior Juju McDowell is the team’s leading returning back, but he only had 62 carries for 219 yards in 2022. USC had only two scholarship running backs in spring practice and asked versatile athlete Dakereon Joyner to take backfield reps.”

The Gamecocks have many improvements to make in order to compete with strong opponents in the SEC like Georgia and Alabama. This season will be no easy task for South Carolina, especially within their passing game.

“The passing game averaged 260 yards per game last season, sixth best in the SEC, and USC has fond memories of how it threw the ball in victories over top-10 opponents Tennessee and Clemson (813 yards, eight TDs).”

South Carolina took major blows to their defensive line and lost many key players. Building a new defense will be a true test for Beamer and the coaching staff.

Kai Kroeger making his return in black and garnet is a major win for South Carolina special teams. Kroeger is ranked fifth in the nation among punters. Mitch Jeter will also return to USC and went 11 for 11 last year in field goals.

Even with tough losses, Athlon Sports still sees South Carolina showing signs of improvement for this season.

“Head coach Shane Beamer won seven games in Year 1, then improved to 8-5 in 2022. With major cogs of his offense back, don’t bet against more improvement.”