When South Carolina took the field against Virginia Tech this past Sunday, the Gamecocks had a Heisman Trophy candidate in LaNorris Sellers at quarterback. Just a season ago, Spencer Rattler was running the offense. That stability is a far cry from 2021, when Shane Beamer’s first South Carolina team cycled through four different quarterbacks on the way to a 7-6 season.
Players from that chaotic QB room still describe the ride with words like “whirlwind,” “bizarre,” “interesting,” and “crazy.”
Luke Doty’s setback
The plan was simple in 2021: Luke Doty, a four-star recruit and South Carolina’s Mr. Football, was the starter. He had already shown flashes as a freshman, starting the final two games of the 2020 season.
“I spent a lot of time up here just trying to improve my game as a quarterback in the film room,” Doty told The State. “…I think going into that season, I fully expected to be the starter.”
But during an August practice, Doty suffered a foot fracture. “I take my shoe off and it looks like a sausage,” he recalled. The injury didn’t require surgery, but it left USC scrambling.
Enter Zeb Noland
That’s when graduate assistant Zeb Noland became a legend. Fresh off a playing career at Iowa State and North Dakota State, Noland had joined Beamer’s staff as a GA. Suddenly, he was back in pads.
“We never took him seriously,” Dakereon Joyner joked. “…And then whenever Luke broke that foot, the next day big Zeb was in a damn quarterback practice jersey.”
Noland quickly went from emergency option to starter. In his debut, he tossed four touchdowns in a win over Eastern Illinois. A week later, he helped beat East Carolina.
Beamer insisted Noland earned the job: “If he deserves the opportunity to play and can help us win football games, he will. And if he can’t, he won’t.”
Noland even delivered a storybook moment against Vanderbilt, coming off the bench in the final two minutes to engineer a game-winning drive. “It’s those moments you dream of as a kid,” he said afterward.
Jason Brown’s chance
For Jason Brown, a transfer from Saint Francis, Noland’s presence was frustrating. “I kind of felt like my chance had just gone away. So I was pissed at first,” Brown admitted.
But when injuries hit again, Brown got his shot — and seized it. He threw for 175 yards and two touchdowns in a 40-17 upset of Florida, a win that pushed South Carolina within reach of a bowl berth. “Outside of my dad and my family, I don’t think anybody thought we were gonna win,” Brown said.
He started the final stretch of the season, highlighted by a three-touchdown performance against Auburn.
Rattler changes everything
The quarterback carousel gained a new twist in December when Oklahoma transfer Spencer Rattler shocked college football by committing to South Carolina.
“At that time Rattler was going there. I’m not an idiot. He’s really good at football, he’s gonna play over me,” Brown said. He immediately entered the transfer portal — a decision he now regrets.
Doty, meanwhile, stayed and embraced the competition. “I could learn a lot from this guy, and he’s going to make me a better player,” he said.
Joyner’s storybook moment
By the Duke’s Mayo Bowl, the QB room was thin again. Beamer turned to Joyner, who had originally signed with USC as a quarterback but had mostly played receiver.
“Coach Satt, he told the whole staff, ‘Listen, stop asking DK to play receiver. He’s not playing receiver. He’s starting at quarterback,’” Joyner recalled.
The decision paid off. Joyner threw for 160 yards and a touchdown in a 38-21 win over North Carolina, calling it “one thousand percent the most memorable, most successful game I ever had.”
Even Noland contributed with 82 passing yards and a TD in his final outing.
Building Beamer’s foundation
Looking back, South Carolina’s quarterbacks believe the wild 2021 season laid the groundwork for the program’s future success.
“We didn’t flinch,” Gauthier said.
Joyner agreed: “That was just a sneak peek at kind of just building the foundation for Coach Beamer, and setting the tone for what we want this program to be.”
From a graduate assistant under center to a wide receiver starring at quarterback, South Carolina’s 2021 season wasn’t always pretty. But it set the stage for the stability the Gamecocks enjoy today.
