South Carolina fans are keeping a close eye on quarterback LaNorris Sellers’ status ahead of Saturday’s showdown with Missouri, and head coach Shane Beamer offered the latest update during his Thursday night call-in show.
Earlier in the day, On3’s Pete Nakos and Chris Low reported that Sellers practiced on Thursday and, barring a setback, is “trending towards playing” in Columbia. Beamer’s comments later in the evening seemed to echo that optimism.
“Michael Smith will be out; he won’t play. Judge Collier will be out; he won’t play,” Beamer confirmed. “Optimistic about getting both those guys back next week. And then the other three (Sellers, Mazeo Bennett, Cason Henry), you’re right, we have a report that will come out later on this evening and I’d say it’s trending in the right direction for those others guys and that we’re optimistic.”
That report aligns with what has been circulating all week — both South Carolina and Sellers’ camp are confident that the sophomore quarterback is on track to return.
Beamer also emphasized that Sellers’ attitude has remained upbeat despite the setback.
“Oh, he’s great,” Beamer said. “He wanted to play last Saturday night. He was right back out on the field and active and involved — he didn’t practice necessarily on Sunday — but he was back out there with the team and hurt. He’s in great spirits. Again, he’s a competitor and that’s what I told him all week, at the end of the day, any of our players’ health is the most important thing, short-term and long-term. LaNorris has been adamant since Saturday night when he wanted to play that he was playing this weekend, and hopefully that’s the way it will turn out here in the next couple of days.”
On the SEC’s official injury report released Wednesday, Sellers was listed as questionable, the same designation given to wide receiver Mazeo Bennett Jr., who is believed to be dealing with an undisclosed injury. Updates to the availability report are scheduled for Thursday and Friday nights at around 8:10 p.m., with a final update coming 90 minutes before kickoff.
Meanwhile, defensive back Judge Collier remains sidelined with a knee injury that has kept him out of two straight games. Offensive tackle Cason Henry, who left the Vanderbilt game with an injury, was notably not listed on the report, suggesting he’s set to return.
Sellers’ injury occurred last week against Vanderbilt, when he took a helmet-to-helmet hit late in the first half. Luke Doty finished the game under center in his absence.
