Vershon Lee has a better understanding of their skills than most.
Not only is he South Carolina’s most experienced offensive lineman, he is the starting center in the middle of everything. He has also played at both guard and tackle throughout his time in Columbia, giving him some perspective from every spot on the offensive line.
Right now two of the guys he is working in between up front are Kamaar Bell and Torricelli Simpkins III, the two transfer portal additions expected to make the biggest impact.
“For both of those guys they play hard,” Lee said. “They’re very physical. They’re very active guys, and they give it all they’ve got on every play. And they’re both pretty funny guys, so it’s just a fun time being beside them.”
Bell arrives from Florida Atlantic as a sixth-year senior with as much college football experience as anyone on the roster. He started his career at Auburn where he played one game in the first two years of his career before transferring down to Boca Raton, where he made an immediate impact.
He started all 12 games for the Owls in two of his three seasons on campus, totaling up 28 starts and 33 overall appearances at guard before entering the transfer portal for his final season of eligibility.
“Right now I am plugged in at left guard,” Bell said. “Pretty much that’s where I’ve been the whole spring, summer and in camp. I’m working a little center just to get some reps at it, but that’s pretty much it.”
Simpkins entered from a lower level, but with a better track record. Prior to South Carolina he played at North Carolina Central starting in 2021, and earned conference-wide plaudits right out of the gate. He steadily worked from being a third-team all-MEAC offensive linemen after his first season into a first-teamer following 2022, the year his Eagles won the HBCU National Championship with a win over Jackson State in the Celebration Bowl.
And then finally he moved into the highest honor of all for his position, winning MEAC offensive lineman of the year in 2023. All of it had him garnering looks from several SEC programs, but his relationship with current South Carolina offensive line coach Lonnie Teasley — who originally recruited Simpkins to North Carolina Central — won out.
“He’s a great coach,” Simpkins said about Teasley. “He was a great coach my freshman year, he coached me at North Carolina Central when I played HBCU, and he’s the same guy. He’s not going to change. He’s going to give the same energy, and he’s going to treat you how he treats everyone.”
Whether one, both or neither of the two ends up starting week one against Old Dominion remains to be seen, but both are part of a bubbling sense of optimism surrounding the offensive line. Between having nearly everybody back off last season’s line, adding the two transfers plus three highly rated true freshmen, there is hope last year’s beleaguered unit will be able to take a tangible step forward in 2024.
Combine all of that with an offense which has made no bones about its desire to run the ball and impose its will on the ground, and the line is up for the challenge.
“As an offensive lineman you want to run the ball,” Simpkins said. “Right now we’re showing everybody on the offense that we’re better than what we were last year. We’re healthier, and we’re going to dominate.”
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