After seven practices, including the first scrimmage of the spring on Saturday morning, sophomore Luke Doty continues to be South Carolina football's top quarterback.

"Luke took the majority of the reps with the first team, I believe all of them, now that I think about it," South Carolina head coach Shane Beamer said Saturday. "We were going to mix some of those other guys in, but situation-wise Luke was in for the majority of the reps. I thought he did a good job of just managing the offense and staying poised, trying to be a leader, showing his athleticism."

A former four-star quarterback, Doty joined the South Carolina football program last January but is going through his first full spring as the Gamecocks' projected starter. Last year, Doty spent the Gamecocks five spring practices before the COVID shutdown working behind Collin Hill and Ryan Hilinski.

Doty, who spent the first part of the season also working in at wide receiver, started the final two games of the season at quarterback after taking over at halftime of the Missouri game.

Doty and offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach Marcus Satterfield have emphasized Doty's footwork and mechanics this spring and that work is paying off.

Beamer mentioned a play in Friday's practice - a red-zone touchdown pass to Nick Muse - where Doty's progress was on full display.

"He's a very, very intelligent young man," Beamer said. "Understanding the offense and learning what we're asking of him to do, he's been fantastic, so that part's been awesome. The poise and the confidence and the leadership that he shows, he's been spectacular there.

"And then I think the thing that we've really been harping on and that he's really been working at is his footwork on his drops, his footwork in the pocket, his footwork when he's throwing the ball, all of those things from the ground up. He and Coach Satterfield have really put a point of emphasis on improving that and I've seen that."

With Doty taking the majority, if not all, of the first-team quarterback snaps Saturday, freshman Colten Gauthier, transfer Jason Brown and walk-on Connor Jordan all rotated in with the second group.

Beamer has been pleased with their play as well, but to this point, Doty has had the edge.

"I would say through seven practices that he's our top quarterback right now," Beamer said. "I talked about it the last time I stood up there, that it's up to those other guys to make this thing a competition and they're doing some great things, don't get me wrong - Colten, to be a freshman, we've thrown a lot at him and he's been fantastic, Jason's been good, Connor's been good - but Luke, right now, is the guy that our offense looks to as the leader, that's going to get the majority of the reps and those guys have got to make it a competition and Luke's doing a great job right now and has got a ways to go as well, halfway through spring practice but I like where he is right now."