By admin 
Two seasons ago, South Carolina quarterback LaNorris Sellers burst onto the national college football scene with a tremendous debut season as the Gamecocks’ full-time starter.
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He capped off an 18-touchdown, 2,534-yard season with an exhilarating performance against rival Clemson. That afternoon, Sellers shredded the Tigers on the ground, finishing with 166 yards, two touchdowns and an eye-popping run that cemented his status as one of the nation’s best dual-threat talents.
Following that strong debut season, Sellers garnered serious NFL Draft buzz. He earned Freshman Offensive Player of the Year from the Football Writers Association of America and third-team SEC honors. He rocketed up the list of top college quarterbacks and was a good bet to be one of the best players in college football heading into the 2025 campaign. Last season did not go according to plan, though.
The Gamecocks’ offensive line suffered numerous injuries. None of Sellers’ wideouts emerged as premier playmakers. His stats and advanced metrics dipped. All of those factors forced head coach Shane Beamer’s hand to remove Mike Shula as offensive coordinator.
Through two games this season, new offensive coordinator Kendal Briles also has failed to get the most out of Sellers. With a big game against undefeated Mississippi State on Saturday (4:15 p.m. ET on SEC Network), Briles needs to get more out of Sellers, and Sellers needs to combat his accuracy issues if the Gamecocks hope to be a factor in a loaded SEC landscape.
Has LaNorris Sellers’ Progress Stalled?
During the 2024 season, Sellers enjoyed an excellent debut season as the Gamecocks’ full-time starter.
He finished with positive EPA/play (0.06) and EPA/pass (0.03) figures and completed 65.8% of his passes, according to Hudl IQ. He finished the season with 2,534 passing yards, an 18:7 TD-INT ratio and chipped in 674 yards and seven touchdowns on the ground.
To put his strong play into perspective, using the Hudl IQ player comparison tool, we can see that Sellers was most comparable to players such as Washington’s Demond Williams Jr. and Illinois quarterback Luke Altmyer, two players who were the focal points of their respective offenses.
Last season, however, Sellers regressed by most advanced metrics.
During the 2025 season, he finished with a 0.00 EPA/play and -0.09 EPA/pass figures, according to Hudl IQ. Both of those figures were down significantly compared to the season before. He also completed 5% fewer passes, threw five fewer touchdowns and did a worse job at creating chunk plays, according to Hudl IQ.
Perhaps the most concerning part of Sellers’ play last season was his accuracy issue.
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Using the Hudl IQ pass placement chart, it’s clear that Sellers had a difficult time completing passes deep down the field.
Perhaps some of that deep-ball inaccuracy comes down to the Gamecocks’ offensive line woes, a lack of an established No. 1 target, Sellers’ own injuries or the disjointed nature of the offense as a whole. All of those are fair and reasonable points. But the fact of the matter remains: Sellers declined last season.
Through two games this season, Sellers has not totally bounced back to his 2024 form.
In Week 1, Sellers played well against one of the worst teams in the FBS at home against Kent State. He finished 19-of-23 for 271 yards and three touchdowns. It was a good performance by all accounts.
Last week, however, he struggled in a downpour against FCS foe Towson, completing fewer than 50% of his passes for just 96 yards and 4.2 yards per attempt. To some, that might just be a one-game blip. But there’s no denying that Sellers has endured a few of these poor passing performances in recent memory. He’ll need to be much better against Mississippi State and the rest of the way against a tough schedule.
Can LaNorris Sellers Regain his 2024 Form?
This week, Sellers and the South Carolina offense will face a big test up against the Mississippi State defense. In Week 2, the Bulldogs did an excellent job of limiting Minnesota to just six offensive points and didn’t allow a touchdown, despite going up against another NFL Draft hopeful quarterback in Drake Lindsey.
South Carolina has lofty expectations this season. Sellers is back for a third season as the full-time starter. Briles is pulling the strings and hopes to bring a more explosive offense to Columbia. The Gamecocks suffered some early injury struggles upfront, but should be better in that regard.
In theory, last season should’ve been a blip on the radar for Sellers. Those things happen in college football. But so far this season, he’s failed to squash the accuracy woes, and if that doesn’t change in a hurry, South Carolina’s offense might not live up to its potential in 2026.
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This story was originally published September 16, 2026 at 5:05 AM.