Shane Beamer stepped to the podium after the first spring practice of 2022 on Tuesday and said it "seems like yesterday we were in Charlotte celebrating the Belk Bowl win." While that may be the case, a ton has transpired since that win over UNC started the off-season with positive momentum. The Gamecocks are welcoming new faces like Oklahoma transfers Spencer Rattler and Austin Stogner, as well as a bevy of other new transfers and early enrollees that are expected to make an impact this upcoming season, and Gamecock fans and media alike were anxious to get their first looks at the newcomers in Garnet and Black.

Beamer seemed pleased with the energy of the team on opening day, though he admitted that every team across the country has good energy on opening day. He mentioned being particularly impressed with the lack of pre-snap penalties, which showed that the team was focused and engaged, a good sign for a team that will need to find a way to gel multiple new faces at key positions this Spring. One thing that shouldn't be an issue is the Gamecocks' conditioning. "The conditioning was great" exclaimed Beamer when talking about the difference between winter workouts and a full 2 1/2 hour practice on a day where the weather crept up into the 70s. "Give credit to Coach [Luke} Day and his staff. The way our team has worked in the weight room...our guys have taken that conditioning and didn't lose it all over Spring Break last week."

When the Gamecocks released their spring roster today there was a couple of notable omissions in Mark Fox and Jalen Brooks. When asked about that, Beamer kept it a little vague saying simply, "they are not currently a part of the program." He later elaborated that Fox had some lingering injuries that he couldn't overcome and Brooks "is not a part of the program at this point," though Beamer has stayed in contact with him. We mentioned a few weeks ago that there would be a need for some attrition on the roster to have it under the scholarship limit by the time fall practice rolls around, and it would seem that process has already begun a bit. The roster also saw several new faces with some updated numbers:
Transfers' Numbers

WR Antwane Wells Jr. – 3

EDGE Terrell Dawkins – 4

QB Spencer Rattler – 7

RB Christian Beal Smith – 8

DB Devonni Reed – 8

RB Lovasea Carroll – 14

Beamer also used some of his media time to update some injury situations. OL Dylan Wonnum is recovering from a back injury and will be limited for most of the spring. He mentioned that QB Luke Doty is "limited but farther along than we thought he might be at this point...he's not full speed but he's not completely limited." Similarly, he noted that LB Sherrod Greene, who suffered a broken ankle against Georgia last season, is "not full speed, but he's moving really really fast towards being full speed." He also mentioned that DL Rick Sandidge is also "limited, but coming along." Even though he played a lot last season, Beamer also mentioned that MarShawn Lloyd is feeling better than ever now that he's a year and a half removed from his ACL injury. "He's on a mission...and people forget he's still young and hasn't played a lot of football [here]."

The question that will resonate from now until Week 1 of the 2022 season is how has this team improved from last year? Beamer started his career with the Gamecocks with an impressive 7-6 season and a bowl win when most were picking the team to only win 4 games, and he and the staff have certainly made some major splash moves this off-season to build off that success. Beamer said that the biggest difference this Spring from last is that he's now got guys that "know what we expect and the tempo we want to practice with...and [the new guys] have forced everyone around them to elevate their games on and off the field...they're older guys who are here on a purpose."

Coach Beamer specifically referenced QB Spencer Rattler, and WR Josh Vann, as leaders that have stepped up in the off-season both on and off the field and who have goals left ahead of them this season. He also said he expects DLinemen Jordan Burch and Jordan Strachan to step up and play a big role in 2022 with the departures along the DLine, as well as RJ Roderick, Cam Smith, and Darius Rush to step up in the defensive backfield. "No matter what you did last year, you gotta build on it.," Beamer emphasized about the fresh start this season.

We mentioned earlier this week that Jaylin Dickerson was retiring from playing football and joining the staff. Beamer clarified a bit about what his role would look like, along with fellow recent addition Devonte Holloman. Dickerson is going to be a student-assistant and is adjusting well to his new role. And that Holloman is "working with the defense as an analyst and will be a great resource for our staff and our team." He also noted that it's not every day you get "a former player, who played in the NFL and won a state championship as a high school coach that's from the state of South Carolina [to join the staff]." Zeb Noland is also working as a staff member again after he was pulled last season onto the field in an emergency fill-in role. Beamer emphasized that his experience on the field will make him that much more valuable as a coach this year who very intimately knows the system.