Freshman Doty impressing coaches, teammates
To have Will Muschamp tell it, Mike Bobo's first practice as a Georgia quarterback was an unmitigated disaster. Bobo, now the Gamecocks' offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach, couldn't even consistently get the snap, fumbling it six times, by Muschamp's memory and looking like, well, a true freshman.
Freshman quarterback Luke Doty's first five practices at South Carolina have been notably more smooth.
"Luke's done some nice things," Muschamp said recently. "He reacts well. The moment's not been too big in the first three days. Coach Bobo and I laughed about his first day of practice at Georgia. I think he fumbled six snaps. And Luke didn't fumble any. So I mean, at the end of the day, there's a lot of positives to build on. He's very intelligent, he reacts well in the pocket. Obviously, he's got the right kind of athleticism we're looking for, and he's been effective throwing the ball. So we got to continue to improve and get better."
Doty, an early enrollee from Myrtle Beach High School, joined the program in January after an acclaimed high school career.
The state of South Carolina's 2019 Mr. Football, Doty was ranked a four-star prospect and the No. 2 dual-threat quarterback and No. 99 overall prospect in his class.
Doty's teammates are already taking notice.
"A very smooth guy," redshirt sophomore quarterback-turned-wide receiver Dakereon Joyner said. "Very smooth, of course fast, one of the fastest guys on the team. But one thing I've seen in him, he's very confident, and I think that's going to take him a very long way. Coming in this early, just think about myself coming in that early and comparing it to him, he's very, very confident, and he's moving pretty well."
The 6-foot-1, 205-pounder has always been known for his speed and natural leadership ability, two qualities that have been on showcase since he first arrived on the recruiting radar several years ago.
But in his first five practices at South Carolina, Doty has also displayed one of his more underrated qualities: his accuracy.
"I've been really pleased with Luke," Bobo said. "Him and MarShawn (Lloyd) probably fall in the same category being very conscientious, want to learn, want to put themselves in a position to compete. Luke, has been accurate. I think two days ago at practice, he was 11 out of 11, which was awesome, hit every target. He made some nice throws today and completed some balls in third down. He's pulled the ball down a couple of times when everybody's been covered and had explosive runs."
With South Carolina just a couple of weeks into spring practice -- and Doty just a couple of weeks into his South Carolina career -- it's far too early to know Doty's role for this season.
The Gamecocks, of course, return sophomore quarterback Hilinski, who started the final 11 games of last season and has pleased Bobo with his progression so far this spring. South Carolina also added Colorado State graduate transfer Collin Hill to what quickly became a crowded quarterback room in January. Hill is currently unable to practice while rehabbing a torn ACL, but will join the quarterback competition when he's fully cleared this summer.
"Luke's an amazing athlete, amazing competitor, and he's a fun guy to be around which is super cool," Hilinski said. "And I think this whole quarterback room that we have now, we're all gelling together, we're all making jokes cracking left and right, so the composure and the confidence in each other and being around each other is really really good and I think Luke is just adding another next level of competitiveness between all of us."
That competitiveness will serve Doty well as he competes for playing time this season against two signal-callers with far more experience than him. With the season still almost six months away, his role is yet to be determined, but by all early indications, his future in the program is bright.
"I think it's just his willingness to learn and master the offense is going to give a chance to be really, really good, 'cause he has a skillset that the other guys don't have," Bobo said. "Now Jay (Urich) has a skillset, to be able to run around too, but Luke has a skillset to be able to run and make plays with his legs. He doesn't have probably the arm strength that Ryan has but he's been an accurate passer."
And far better at catching snaps than Bobo when he arrived in college.