Shane Beamer isn’t here to play it safe. While some programs are pulling the plug on their spring games, Beamer is doing the opposite, setting the stage for another season of Gamecock football under the lights in Columbia. He knows what’s coming. The expectations, the pressure, the high-stakes matchups. And at the center of it all? LaNorris Sellers. The quarterback who led South Carolina to a six-game winning streak, the one who electrified a fanbase desperate for a true game-changer. But with the schedule that lies ahead, Sellers can’t just be good—he has to be transcendent. The kind of quarterback who doesn’t just win games but defines seasons. And South Carolina’s 2025 season may hinge on one game in particular.
That game? October 25th. Alabama Crimson Tide. Williams-Brice Stadium. A matchup that’s shaping up to be one of the most important in Shane Beamer’s and Kalen DeBoer’s next season. On3’s national analyst J.D. PicKell didn’t mince words about it, saying, “I don’t want to be overly dramatic, but this could be a playoff game. October 25th could be a playoff game for both sides.” The SEC playoff bubble is razor-thin, and South Carolina, Alabama, and Ole Miss were all caught in that delicate balance last year. For the Gamecocks, this is a proving-ground moment, a chance to show they belong in the College Football Playoff conversation. And it’s not just about beating Alabama—it’s about avoiding the nightmare scenario they faced last season.
PicKell made it clear: South Carolina cannot afford to go into the Clemson game scrambling for a last-minute résumé boost. “Don’t leave it up to a spot like last year where you’re playing Clemson in the Palmetto Bowl and you’re like, ‘Okay, can we boost the résumé enough to get in?’ Don’t have that conversation. Just feel good enough that last game of the season because it took care of business against Alabama to get into the college football playoff that the Clemson game is gonna be is either for seeding or it’s going to be a game before the SEC title game; whatever it is, just handle the business,” he warned.
