Spring Football practice is set to kick off in just 3 days, and we're still breaking down what we're most excited to see throughout the next month. Today we take a look at a position group that has been a strength of the Gamecocks over the last several years, but with some new faces, now that Kevin Harris and last year's breakout star, Zaquandre White have both declared for the NFL draft. There's a nice balance of veteran presence and young talent in the RB room, and it will be interesting to see how each player fills their respective role and how the depth chart seems to shake out by the end of spring.

South Carolina received two transfers in the RB room this offseason in Grad-Transfer Christian Beal-Smith and Redshirt-Freshman Lovasea Carroll. We've talked in-depth about the transfers on a couple of occasions, and it's clear that both of these athletes should have an impact on the 2022 depth chart. Beal-Smith has already been praised several times as a standout in winter workouts, and he brings much-needed experience to a running back room that is otherwise lacking it. I'm told he has set the tone as a leader of this room and it's likely that he will get a chance to be the leading rusher for the Gamecocks. He doesn't have elite speed, but he has solid size and vision and will keep the chains moving by running north to south and fighting for an extra yard.

Carroll on the other hand has track-star speed. He could legitimately be the fastest player on the Gamecocks roster from day one. There are several reports that he ran the 40 in the neighborhood of 4.38 during his days at IMG Academy. During his media availability last week, he mentioned that the Gamecocks plan to use him and JuJu McDowell as speed backs, and the two could even line up outside at receiver at times. Carroll is a guy that South Carolina needs to find a way to get the ball in his hands in space and let him outrun defenders. It's unclear how quickly he will adjust to the position after being moved to cornerback when he was at Georgia, but we'll see how he's coming along in these crucial spring practices.

Though he was on the roster in 2021, Redshirt Sophomore Rashad Amos is a name many Gamecocks may not be familiar with. He only played in mop-up duty during the Kentucky and Georgia games in 2020, but he will get some looks this spring, and he's a bit of a bruiser that could be used in short-yardage situations.

The biggest question mark in the RB room centers around Redshirt Sophomore MarShawn Lloyd. Lloyd was one of the highest-profile recruits of the Muschamp era, ranked as 5-star and #6 at his position in the 2020 class by Rivals. Early reviews were lavish. Adam Gorney even once compared him to Wisconsin great and Indianapolis Colt star Jonathan Taylor. Unfortunately, Lloyd suffered an ACL tear in a non-contact situation at the beginning of his first fall camp and though he came back quicker than expected, he did not have a huge impact in 2021, running for just 228 yards and 1 TD at a measly 3.6 YPC. Generally, it takes 8-10 months to come back from an ACL tear physically, but the mental aspect is often much longer before athletes fully trust the leg again.

The Gamecocks hope that Lloyd built some confidence in an injury-free 2021, and can come back in full force and reach his sky-high potential this year. The first test will be whether or not he can wrench the starting role from veteran transfer Beal-Smith, but even if Beal-Smith is technically the starter, we expect Lloyd to get more carries this year. There's no questioning Lloyd's work ethic, and time will soon tell if his performance on the field can match it.

Freshman All-SEC Returner JuJu McDowell was one of the most fun surprises of the 2021 season. The electric back outplayed his 5' 9", 177 lbs frame, mostly because it was difficult for defenders to touch him when he got a little space. His biggest game of the season was the bowl game vs. UNC, in which he rushed 5 times for 52 yards and a big 35-yard touchdown. If the Gamecocks are going to continue to improve on offense, you would think that McDowell should be in line to see more touches, both from the backfield but also on the perimeter, he did haul in 9 catches in 2021 and could be utilized in various ways in 2022. We expect he will also continue to play a factor on special teams. It would seem that his role is solidified, and even if he never becomes the every-down back in this offense, we recommend not looking away any time the ball is in his hands.