Several members of the Gamecock offense were made available to the media on Monday, and we got some insight into what might be different in 2022 with the unit that struggled a bit at times in 2021. At Gamecock Scoop we've already covered some of the details QB Spencer Rattler shared, but several other key contributors shared their thoughts on how Spring is progressing, and what they expect out of the upcoming season.

6th year senior Eric Douglas has seen his fair share of football at the University of South Carolina. The super senior has appeared in 44 games and been a starter in the Gamecocks' last 23 games at Center, which is the crux of the Offensive Line. Even though he's experienced several quarterbacks throughout his career, including 4 different guys just last year, Douglas knows what he's out there to do. "No matter who's behind you, who's running the ball, who's throwing the ball, your job doesn't change. Just got to get in the right position so those guys can make big plays," Douglas answered when asked about adjusting to new QB Spencer Rattler. Douglas also told Rattler that he can have some confidence in the unit in front of him. "I told him, 'yeah I got you...you ain't gotta worry about [protections]. I'm going to put us in the right spot. All I need you to do is cue up the band for us."

Several comments have been made throughout spring that suggest that the coaches feel that many of the sacks last year were due to the roulette wheel at QB more than the OLine itself. If that proves to be true, and the experienced OLine can take that next step under veteran leaders like Douglas and Rattler, the Gamecocks' are hoping their offense looks much different in 2022.

Gamecock Scoop spoke extensively about RB MarShawn Lloyd in our spring practice preview on the RBs. Lloyd, once a highly rated recruit, has had his share of struggles with injury since he first arrived here, but on Monday he reiterated that he's as healthy as ever and ready for the 2022 season. "[I feel] the best I've felt since I've [started to] play college football. I'm back on top. 100%. I feel the best I've felt since I got here." Lloyd said emphatically when asked about his recovery from a torn ACL back in Fall Camp of 2020. Often, coming back from an ACL is both physical and mental, and Lloyd alluded to that as well. "The way I wanted to play, you know, I still wasn't able to do it. I probably thought that I could do it because I'd done it before but my body just wasn't ready, my mind wasn't ready. But now, coming along, everything's been pretty good."

The Gamecocks hope that Lloyd, the Sophomore RB, can step up as the most physically talented of a group of several steady backs who will fill specific roles this year, including transfers Christian Beal-Smith and Lovasea Carroll, as well as shifty Sophomore JuJu McDowell. Lloyd took a moment to address the expectations of him battling back from injury as that physically talented, highly rated player, "A lot of people are still waiting to see what I can do...this year my mental is great, I'm no longer focused on anybody else thinks of me...and this is the year for me to really show Gamecock fans what I'm able to do, and compete for this school."

Several of the offensive players mentioned how much having another year in the offensive system under Coach Satterfield was already helping them feel more confident. "Having an extra year really allows us to dig deep on the playbook, and really get ready for what's coming this year...we're going to be pretty good when pass protection and everything comes into par," Lloyd stated about having experience in the system and with the OLine. The Gamecocks certainly hope that experience leads to fewer sacks and better stat lines for an offense that struggled at times in 2021.

Another player who spoke on Monday was MarShawn Lloyd's roommate, QB Luke Doty. Lloyd himself had simple advice for the hometown QB who is likely to play a backup role in 2022 after starting several games in less than ideal situations his first two years on campus: "It's all about competition, and we want to do whatever we have to do to make this team better, and Luke knows that." Lloyd said about the former 4-Star QB out of Myrtle Beach.

Doty, like Lloyd, has also been battling back from an injury: a lingering foot issue for the dual-threat QB, which took some of the more explosive parts of his game away early in 2021 before Doty ultimately had surgery in October which sidelined him for the rest of the season. He claimed on Monday that he's "100% back from it," and Doty credited South Carolina's training staff for the quick recovery. He also credited his roommate with helping him with the mental part of recovery. "He always said not to rush anything, and I kind of took that to heart. 'Cause the first time...I was a little bit of a hard head and just pushed through it. But this time I've had a good bit of time to really rest it." Doty said about Lloyd's impact on his mindset.

For a while, Doty seemed like the heir apparent at the quarterback position, and Doty is only a Junior, so it's possible that still comes to fruition, but in the short term, he's facing stiff competition from elite QB transfer Spencer Rattler. To Doty's credit, he's using the experience as a way to learn and grow as a player. "Just seeing the way [Rattler] goes to work every day. I mean he's truly a guy that's obviously played a lot of college football...when he first got here [I was able to] kind of teach him some of the offense...that's been a lot of fun and that helps me...just watching him the way that he does things." Doty said about the transition to having Rattler on campus.

Doty was also asked about the new guys on campus and who was standing out, and like many before him, the first name out of his mouth was transfer RB Christian Beal-Smith. We noted a few weeks ago that he was named as a standout during Winter Workouts, and it seems like that momentum has carried into spring as well. Doty also mentioned transfer WR Antwane Wells Jr. who has also received a lot of praise since arriving on campus. "He's a dog, he's a worker and he's not afraid to get better and that's just what he's going to continue to do," Doty said about the WR who is expected to crack the 2-deep in 2022. Doty said that the hard work and focus have shown up on all sides of the ball and that Head Coach Shane Beamer recently said after practice "We look like a football team that's hungry."

The newcomers and veterans alike seem fully bought into getting better this Spring, and Gamecock fans hope that hard work will pay off once the fall finally rolls around.

In the file under "what's happening with Luke Doty's hair," Doty did reveal that he has an agreement with friend Mikele Colasurdo, who played QB at Chapman HS in Inman, SC, that each QB will be growing out their hair until the beginning of the season. So...expect to see some luscious locks from Doty come August I guess.