Connor Shaw watched LaNorris Sellers all spring and came away convinced: Kendal Briles changes everything
Connor Shaw has earned the right to have an opinion about South Carolina quarterbacks. From 2011 to 2013, he was the best one in program history — a dual-threat leader who won more games than any starter in Gamecock history and helped establish a culture of expectation that the program has spent the years since trying to recapture. When Shaw speaks about what it takes to succeed under center in Columbia, people in that building listen.
On Wednesday at the Colonial Life Charity Classic Pro-Am at Woodcreek Club, Shaw shared his most direct assessment yet of what LaNorris Sellers and the South Carolina offense could become in 2026 — and it was the kind of endorsement that program supporters have been waiting to hear from someone who has lived it.
“I like Kendal’s system and LaNorris is confident, really comfortable with him and that relationship on and off the field,” Shaw said. “The whole offense seemed good. It is spring ball, and you can’t put a whole lot of stock into it. But just from a system standpoint, this year compared to last year, you can tell a lot of guys are confident.”
That last word — confident — is the one that matters most. And it’s the one that has been conspicuously absent from descriptions of South Carolina’s offense for the past 12 months.
What Went Wrong — and Why the Fix Had to Be Structural
The numbers from 2025 are not pleasant to revisit for Gamecock fans. South Carolina’s offense ranked 104th nationally in scoring, averaging just 22.7 points per game in a season that produced a 4-8 record. The Gamecocks finished 15th out of 16 SEC teams in both total yards and scoring — a stunning indictment for a program with Sellers’ talent under center. South Carolina allowed 43 sacks in 2025, the fourth-most in the country, meaning the offensive breakdown wasn’t simply about scheme or execution — Sellers was running for his life most of the season.
The structural failure of the 2025 offense made the hire of Kendal Briles from TCU in December not just a personnel decision but an existential one. Briles arrives in Columbia with a reputation for building quarterback-friendly systems built on tempo — a description that sounds almost designed to rehabilitate exactly what went wrong in 2025. At TCU, Briles coached quarterback Josh Hoover to finish fourth nationally in passing yards per game, averaging 289.3 yards per contest last season — proof of concept in a Power Four conference against legitimate competition.
The first days of spring practice offered immediate signals that something was different. Just three practices in, Briles told reporters: “A lot of work to do, not just him, but everybody. But I was pleased with him and the other quarterbacks; they look sharp. I’m really impressed with his mental capacity, really sharp. Obviously, he’s gifted athletically, but it matters a lot to him. Cares a lot. He works really hard, and I really appreciate that.”
Head coach Shane Beamer echoed that assessment, noting the connection forming between quarterback and coordinator: “There’s been a lot of gelling going on with Sellers and Kendal since Kendal got here in January. I think that relationship is really strong right now. There’s a compatibility and enjoyment around one another that I see just in my interactions with the two of them when they’re together.”
Sellers’ Own Voice: A Quarterback Who Knows What He Needs
Sellers has been measured in his public comments this offseason, but the thread running through everything he has said is consistent: this system fits him, and that matters more than people might realize.
In his final press conference of the spring, Sellers confirmed that his comfort level with Briles’ offense has grown steadily throughout the practice period — that he’s been picking up the concepts, building fluency in the scheme, and feeling the kind of ease under center that defines a quarterback who trusts his surroundings. That internal confidence, when it exists, changes how a quarterback processes pressure. It changes decision speed. It changes the willingness to stay in the pocket.
Beamer, for his part, said he was “really pleased” with Sellers throughout the 15-practice spring: “I thought LaNorris had a great spring learning a new offense, getting adjusted to coach Briles and coach Briles’ coaching style.”
Briles described his playbook as “diverse,” incorporating concepts he has used at multiple levels, and outlined plans to utilize five or six running backs regularly — a commitment to backfield depth and multipurpose personnel that creates exactly the kind of pre-snap chaos and play-action opportunities that allow a quarterback like Sellers to operate efficiently rather than being asked to carry too much individually.
Shaw’s Verdict on Sellers’ NFL Future
The Pro-Am pairing gave Shaw and Sellers more than just a chance to compare golf swings. Shaw had a chance to watch Sellers up close for an extended period — on the course and in the practice sessions he attended this spring — and what he came away with was a clear-eyed endorsement of Sellers not just as a 2026 Gamecock but as a future professional.
“I really appreciate the way he carries himself. It is what you want to see in the quarterback,” Shaw said. “He is smooth, calm through the chaos and guys rally around him. He is a great teammate and fierce competitor and has an elite skillset. I think a lot of people are excited to see what the team could do this year.”
That description — smooth, calm through the chaos — is the vocabulary of NFL evaluators, not just college football observers. Early mock drafts for the 2027 NFL Draft already have Sellers projected as high as the fourth overall pick in some projections, a recognition of the rare combination of size, athleticism, arm talent, and leadership presence he brings to the position.
Beamer himself acknowledged the professional development angle of learning multiple systems: “I think it’ll be good for him as he goes into professional football when his college days are over, because more likely than not, he’s not going to be in the same offensive system during his NFL career. So being able to learn multiple systems… I think there’s a lot of positives and benefits that will certainly come from it with LaNorris.”
Golf, Trash Talk, and a Legacy in the Making
The human side of Wednesday’s Pro-Am was worth savoring. Shaw — an avid golfer — and Sellers shared a cart and a conversation that touched on the game, Gamecock history, and the kind of generational connection that makes programs feel like something bigger than football. Sellers, who got into golf at South Carolina playing with former quarterback Spencer Rattler, has been taking lessons and is now hosting his own charity tournament next week.
He assessed his own game with the self-awareness of a quarterback who knows exactly what he’s working with: “It is decent. It just depends on the day. Today has been fun. Connor is a good golfer and competitive. It is good to see his golf game and listen to him talk about his history with South Carolina football.”
Shaw, for his part, was quick to note that when Sellers locks in, the power is undeniable. The Florence native drove the par-4 11th hole — all 304 yards of it — during Wednesday’s round. “Really cool to see LaNorris get the golf bug,” Shaw said. “When he gets things dialed in, he hits it a long way. It is fun playing with him. He is a big dude who can hit the ball hard.”
The same could be said about his football. And if Connor Shaw and the assembled spring observers are reading the room correctly, the rest of the SEC is about to find out.
