Luke Doty didn’t have time to get nervous or think too much about what Mike Bobo just told him.

It was halftime of the Missouri game last year and Doty was just told he would be taking the reigns of the Gamecock offense that half. He did, and ultimately started the final two games of the year, passing for 405 yards and two scores with three picks.

That was roughly six months ago, and Doty continues to look back on that moment and can’t help but think about how far he’s come since.

“It’s crazy the difference a year will make as far as your understanding of concepts, where the defense is going and how they’re playing. I definitely think I have a lot more to learn but feel like I’m in a good spot,” Doty said.

“Everything is starting to click. I know I can tell when I get out there and see the defense and how they’re playing things the way things open up is starting to click and things are starting to slow down.”

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Doty had an up and down freshman year, splitting reps at receiver and quarterback in the preseason and seeing limited action in the first seven games before being thrust into a starting role.

It was an odd indoctrination for Doty, who didn’t get a spring last year because of COVID—having to learn the bulk of the playbook through Zoom—and he can see tremendous growth in his game under the new coaching staff now that he actual got a complete spring under his belt.

“This spring has been huge as far as playing the quarterback position. I got thrown into it last season at the very end of the year, which I’m so grateful for,” Doty said. “That taught me a lot then and is sure slowing things down now.”

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It’s cliché, but some of it holds true, that the game does begin to slow down for players between their first and second seasons on campus and Doty said he can certainly see that.

He’s been met with rave reviews by new head coach Shane Beamer and offensive coordinator Marcus Satterfield about his skill set and mental acuity and was named the starter coming out of spring after taking all the first-team reps.

This spring Doty said he was really able to get a grasp on what Satterfield was installing and understands better what defense will do against him.

“That’s taking your three-step or five-step drop and see the way the defense opens up and seeing the windows you may not have seen a year ago. That comes with putting your eyes in the right place and having a better understanding of the overall concept, not just what the play is or what the routes are,” he said.

“It’s about understanding the concept and what we’re trying to get done as an offense. I think that’s where before spring ball and during the winter months I put an emphasis on to understand the general concepts and the idea of what we want to get out of each play.”

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Doty is not a perfect player yet—he needs to work on his downfield passing and continue developing in Satterfield’s system—but one thing he really wants to do is become a leader of the team.

His teammates have already started to see it, and Doty thinks it’s been so far so good.

“I feel like I’ve done a good job of stepping into that role and being the main leader on offense and one of the main leaders on the team,” Doty said. “I’ve had a lot of guys come along beside me and really help me do that.”