COLUMBIA — Anytime a new quarterback arrives on campus, it sparks excitement. But when that quarterback is Prentiss “Air” Noland, the buzz is on another level.
Noland, whose first name is indeed “Air” and not just a nickname, transferred to South Carolina after spending his freshman season redshirting at national champion Ohio State. A former high-profile recruit out of Georgia, he carried an impressive résumé: gaudy high school stats, a state championship at the highest level of prep football, and a reputation as one of the nation’s most promising signal callers. His decision to join Shane Beamer’s program seemed like the next step in the Gamecocks’ growing quarterback pipeline, following in the footsteps of Spencer Rattler and now LaNorris Sellers.
But as South Carolina inches closer to its Aug. 31 season opener against Virginia Tech in Atlanta, it’s not Noland but veteran Luke Doty who stands as Sellers’ primary backup. Doty, entering his sixth year with the Gamecocks, brings experience, command of the offense, and a deep knowledge of Beamer’s system. If called upon, the coaching staff trusts he’ll be ready to step in seamlessly.
That leaves the obvious question lingering: what about Noland?
From all indications, the freshman transfer is doing just fine. Coaches and teammates have praised his progress, even if he’s not yet pushing Doty for the QB2 spot.
Beamer recently addressed the competition during fall camp, offering a glimpse into how things stand.
“Cutter (Woods) and Air continue to improve,” Beamer said. “The first thing I would say is that both those guys have really improved since spring practice. They’re moving around well and they each are flashing, as is Luke. I mean, Luke’s the backup right now, but those guys are competing and pushing. We’ll certainly want to narrow things down as we get closer to game day here in a couple of weeks.”
Though stats from scrimmages remain under wraps and Noland has yet to meet with reporters since media day, the message from Beamer is clear: the battle for quarterback depth is ongoing. Sellers is firmly QB1, Doty brings security as QB2, but Noland’s story with South Carolina is just beginning.
