The sample size is indeed limited.

The Gamecocks are a mere three practices, two that didn't even include pads, into the first spring of the Shane Beamer era at South Carolina.

But is it ever truly too early to discuss the quarterback position?

Beamer said in his pre-spring preview press conference last week that second-year quarterback Luke Doty - after playing the final 2.5 games as the first-string QB last year - would get the first of the first-team reps to start the spring and that's held true through three workouts.

"I've been impressed with him," Beamer said Thursday of Doty. "He's trying to lead. I think he's doing a great job every time he takes the field of being a leader and the mentality and understanding the guys on offense are looking to him right now, because he's the quarterback that's with that first group offense. He's doing a great job of that. You forget he's a freshman and not an older guy because of the way he carries himself and the respect he has on the team. It's like he's a senior, which is a testament to him."

Doty joined the South Carolina program last January as a four-star recruit out of Myrtle Beach, ranked the No. 2 dual-threat quarterback in the country by Rivals.

After working at just quarterback in the spring, Doty spent the first part of his first season in Columbia working at wide receiver as the staff tried to find a way to get his athleticism on the field, before Doty ultimately took over as the team's quarterback following halftime of the Missouri game in Week 7 of the ten-game schedule.

In his brief action, Doty completed 43-of-71 passes (60.6 percent) for 405 yards with two touchdowns and three interceptions and rushed 41 times for 91 yards. Now he'll hope to go into the season as the full-time starter under new offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Marcus Satterfield.

"Trying to clean up everything," Beamer continued on Doty. "He didn't get a full season of being the starting quarterback last year and he's still very young at the position. But a great leader, really good athlete, runs well, throws well, I've really been impressed with him, and excited to continue to watch his progression throughout the spring."

Doty is joined in the quarterback room by transfer Jason Brown, true freshman early enrollee Colten Gauthier and walk-on Connor Jordan.

Brown, with his success at FCS St. Francis where he threw for 29 touchdowns in 2019, appears to be Doty's strictest competition for the spot.

After enrolling in March, Brown missed the first practice of the spring with an illness but has since returned to the practice fields this week.

Brown has impressed his new head coach with his work ethic so far and the fact that he always seems to be in the meeting rooms working and studying on his own.

"I think the biggest thing with him is the fact that they didn't have a season last season, and then his season this spring at St. Francis they're not going to play, so the biggest thing was him was just getting in shape physically and attacking the weight room after being off after that long, it's probably a more physical adjustment for him," Beamer said. "But he's in there working to try and get everything up to speed mentally and working to get better as a quarterback each and every day."

Despite the small sample size, the competition to be the Gamecocks' starter this fall is already well underway.

The Gamecocks track everything. From 1-on-1s to 7-on-7s to team periods to situational work, each quarterback is graded and evaluated.

While the new offensive scheme leads to some expected mental errors along the way, Beamer has been happy with all four players and is looking forward to watching them progress throughout the spring and offseason.

"We're competing every day and Luke started out the first day with the first group," Beamer said. "He's the returning quarterback, he's the only one that's really got experience here and that's kind of where we started but every single position, we're creating competition.

"And I don't mean to say that Luke has taken every single rep with the first group. We've got four guys that are in there competing with Connor, Colten, Jason, and Luke, so all of those guys are in there working and getting reps. Coach Satt is handling that rotation and who is going when with which group, so all of those guys will get opportunities if they earn that opportunity. Somebody has got to come and be better than Luke and if nobody does then Luke will continue to get reps with the first team. It's certainly a competition but those other guys, they've got to make it a competition as well too."