Just a day after being listed as doubtful on the SEC availability report, South Carolina offensive linemen Cason Henry and Nolan Hay were officially ruled out for Saturday’s matchup against Oklahoma, head coach Shane Beamer confirmed Thursday night on his weekly call-in show.
While those absences sting for the Gamecocks, Beamer shared a string of positive updates on several other key players — including defensive back Brandon Cisse and offensive linemen Shed Sarratt Jr. and Markee Anderson.
“Brandon is doing well,” Beamer said. “That was tough last week when he went out in the first or second quarter; that was a tough loss for us to lose him for the rest of the game. Brandon has practiced this week and I forget how we’re listing him tonight — he’s either probable or off (the list) tonight — but Brandon should be good to go for Saturday. He practiced today and said he felt good, so hopefully he’ll continue to progress over the next couple days.”
Beamer also sounded optimistic about Sarratt and Anderson returning to action.
“Shed practiced today. He should be good. Is he 100 percent? No. But he should be available,” Beamer said. “He was out working to get back the last couple of days and actually practiced today and looked good out there, so confident that Shed will be available on Saturday. And then Markee practiced yesterday and today. So optimistic on both of those guys.”
The head coach also noted encouraging signs from defensive tackle Gabriel Brownlow-Dindy.
“Gabe, we’re optimistic for Saturday,” Beamer added. “He’s got a little bit of an upper body injury and hopeful over the next couple of days, he’ll continue to respond in a big way and be available on Saturday because we certainly need him to.”
In Thursday’s updated injury report, Cisse and Brownlow-Dindy were listed as probable, Sarratt was marked questionable, and Anderson was not listed — indicating he’s cleared to play.
Both Sarratt and Cisse suffered injuries during last weekend’s loss at LSU. Sarratt went down with an ankle injury moments after Matthew Fuller’s 72-yard touchdown run, which briefly gave the Gamecocks their only lead of the night. He was later seen on crutches. Cisse exited early in the second quarter with a knee injury, requiring help from trainers and teammates before being escorted off the field with a brace around his left leg.
As for Henry and Hay, both linemen continue to recover from previous setbacks. Henry originally suffered a shoulder injury against Vanderbilt, attempted to return against Missouri, but left after just one play. Hay, who made his first career start versus Missouri, also exited that game with a knee injury. Both had missed the Kentucky matchup, with Beamer initially hopeful they’d return for LSU.
The next SEC availability update will be released on Friday, followed by a final report 90 minutes before kickoff.
This injury reporting system — approved by the SEC last season — requires schools to submit updates three days before football games and follow up daily until game day. Players are listed under designations such as available, probable, doubtful, or questionable, with final game-day labels of available, game-time decision, or out, mirroring the NFL’s injury reporting format.
The Gamecocks (3-3, 1-3 SEC) will host the No. 11 Oklahoma Sooners (5-1, 1-1 SEC) at 12:45 p.m. ET on Saturday, October 18, with coverage on the SEC Network.
