South Carolina football is off to a strong 2-0 start in the 2025 season, but the victories have not come without setbacks. The Gamecocks enter SEC play carrying a lengthy list of injuries that have tested the team’s depth and resilience.
Head coach Shane Beamer made that clear after USC’s Week 2 win over South Carolina State, when he was asked for an update.
“Injury update, it would be too long to name, guys, so don’t even ask,” Beamer said. “… Our third-team nickel is Jaquel Holman; he got hurt in the first quarter. So, we were down to literally our fourth nickel.”
Despite the grim outlook immediately after the game, Beamer struck a more optimistic tone during his Sunday teleconference, noting that several players are progressing toward returns. “Trending in the right direction,” was his description of the overall health of the roster. Still, multiple starters remain banged up, and the staff must juggle lineup adjustments heading into SEC play.
Under new league rules, every SEC team must provide three injury updates each week: one on Thursday around 8 p.m., one on Friday, and a final status report 90 minutes before kickoff.
For the Gamecocks, the ability to absorb injuries and continue competing at a high level has underscored the importance of roster depth.
“We’ve got good young players as well,” Beamer said. “… We all talk about being ready when your number’s called and everybody’s got a job to do.”
That “next man up” mentality has extended to South Carolina’s coaching staff, too. When defensive line coach Travian Robertson was sidelined earlier this summer due to a serious car accident, defensive coordinator Clayton White explained how the program had prepared for such emergencies.
“There’s a linebacker coach that’s ready, there’s a D-line coach that’s ready, there’s an edge coach that’s ready, and there’s two or three DB coaches that are ready,” White said. “So this is one of those things that we kind of, not saying prepared for this exact thing, but we want to make sure that we’re good to go.”
Players have noticed that preparation paying off on the field. Veteran defensive back DQ Smith said the trust built during spring and summer has carried into the fall, even as injuries mount.
“I see the same guys I’ve been seeing all summer, all spring,” Smith said. “The same guys that continue to work. Someone went down, they stepped in (and) made an impact on the game. So, just, guys I trust. … It’s a testament to those guys because they stepped up to the place when they didn’t know they would have to.”
Beamer pointed out that South Carolina’s practice structure has also played a big role in keeping players ready. The Gamecocks emphasize “good on good” reps — starters facing off against other starters — to sharpen depth and accelerate player development.
“So you can get them ready. We do, you know, kickoff versus kickoff return. There may be a scout team kickoff, but they’re guys that we’re trying to get ready to play on Saturday,” Beamer said. “Or they might already be playing on Saturdays, and they’re getting better that way. When they get into games on Saturdays, they’ve been there in the sense that they’ve been working in practice for those moments.”
As the season shifts into SEC play, the Gamecocks’ early challenges with injuries could end up strengthening the roster long-term — building trust in young talent and reinforcing the importance of staying prepared, no matter the depth chart.
