As the calendar turns over to July, the 2026 college football offseason enters its long-dreaded state: talking season. For South Carolina, that also means an upcoming trip to SEC Media Days in Tampa, FL.<\/p>\n
The yearly conference of SEC football member institutions and media personnel is set for July 20-23 at the Tampa Marriott Water Street and JW Marriott. The Gamecocks make their appearance on day two (July 21) alongside Auburn, Georgia and Vanderbilt. <\/p>\n
An official announcement on who is joining head coach Shane Beamer in Tampa has yet to be made. For now, let\u2019s take a look at potential candidates.<\/p>\n
Questions about this story? Mingo Martin is discussing it with subscribers on The Insiders Forum.<\/a><\/p>\n LaNorris Sellers<\/p>\n QB1 is an obvious name to bring to SEC Media Days. Sellers is far from the young quarterback he was a couple of years ago. The Florence native is entering his third season as South Carolina\u2019s leading man under center. Bringing his starting quarterback would not be shocking for head coach Shane Beamer; he did it last year with Sellers and two years before that with Spencer Rattler.<\/p>\n Sellers\u2019 name is also one that still comes with a lot of intrigue. The redshirt junior quarterback had a sophomore slump in 2025, regressing in all major stats. Sellers threw for 2,437 yards for 13 touchdowns and eight interceptions in the 2025 season, rushing for only 270 yards and five touchdowns. <\/p>\n How Sellers will look as a junior with a new offensive coordinator is at least something to think about. It\u2019ll be the South Carolina native\u2019s fourth offensive coordinator in three seasons, including interim Mike Furrey after the firing of Mike Shula midway through the 2025 season. <\/p>\n Judge Collier<\/p>\n Nine defensive backs or safeties attended SEC Media Days in Atlanta in 2025. South Carolina\u2019s DQ Smith was one of them. For 2026, Beamer could potentially invite another in Judge Collier. <\/p>\n The senior and two-year starter for South Carolina started eight of his nine appearances in the 2025 season, picking up 28 tackles and a pass breakup for his efforts. Two seasons ago, Collier earned Second Team All-SEC Honors from College Football Nation. He\u2019s also seen game experience for Beamer\u2019s Gamecocks in each of the last three seasons, including every game in 2023 and 2024. <\/p>\n Vicari Swain<\/p>\n If there was one player that embodied \u201cBeamer Ball\u201d for South Carolina in 2025, it was Vicari Swain. The All-American punt returner returned a career-best three punts for touchdowns in 2025. The total puts him second all-time for a South Carolina career behind Dick Harris (4, 1969-71) and tied the school record for most in a season. <\/p>\n Additionally, Swain\u2019s 19 returns for 302 yards ranked him third in the SEC and seventh nationally. It was also the most by a Gamecock since Ace Sanders\u2019 school record of 429 in 2012. <\/p>\n Defensively, Swain posted 28 tackles in the 2025 season, including a sack and two interceptions. He is a favorite to start alongside Collier at corner.<\/p>\n Fred \u201cJayR\u201d Johnson<\/p>\n Fred Johnson is another three-year player for Beamer\u2019s Gamecocks. He\u2019s appeared in all 25 games in his time at South Carolina and is likely to headline South Carolina\u2019s veteran-led linebacker room. <\/p>\n During his sophomore season, Johnson ranked third on the team in tackles (61), including 3.5 tackles for loss and a sack. He also recovered a fumble and nabbed an interception in the Gamecocks\u2019 season opener, the Aflac Kickoff Game against Virginia Tech.<\/p>\n Dylan Stewart<\/p>\n Arguably South Carolina\u2019s best and most notable player, Stewart in many cases would top the list of potential candidates. Stewart enters his third season at South Carolina as one of the clear top defenders in college football, including a spot on the Walter Camp preseason All-America first team. <\/a><\/p>\n The junior edge rusher is also coming off a sophomore campaign that earned him second-team All-SEC honors among coaches and third-team honors from Phil Steele and PFSN College. Stewart totaled 33 tackles and led South Carolina with 12 tackles for loss in 11 starts. <\/p>\n However, there\u2019s a reason he isn\u2019t at the top of this list. It\u2019s the same reason he missed a game during the 2025 season. Stewart has been dealing with a \u201cnagging back injury\u201d he suffered throughout the season. That injury kept the junior Gamecock sidelined through all of spring, and his condition is something Beamer has kept very close to his chest.<\/p>\n Jacarrius Peak<\/p>\n If there\u2019s one face that shows off South Carolina\u2019s new look offensive line, it might be NC State transfer Jacarrius Peak. <\/p>\n Peak joined the Gamecocks program in January following four seasons with the Wolfpack. He\u2019s far and away the darling signing of South Carolina\u2019s 2026 transfer portal class and is widely considered a top lineman entering the new season. One of South Carolina\u2019s biggest areas of need heading into 2026 is the offensive front. The Gamecocks allowed 43 sacks last season and are bringing in a new offensive line coach in Randy Clements. <\/p>\n However, similarly to Stewart, Peak sits sidelined with an injury. The transfer offensive tackle suffered a knee injury during a team-sponsored three-on-three basketball tournament that sidelined him for spring practice. Like Stewart, Beamer is cautious in his updates on Peak\u2019s condition. Both players seem like great candidates for Tampa. However, Beamer may look to keep them at home, healing for September. <\/p>\n Like this story0Share article<\/p>\n