Alabama Coaches Break Down 'Dangerous' South Carolina QB LaNorris Sellers

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — For the last decade, South Carolina hasn't exactly been viewed as a major threat in this esteemed conference. But for the first time since 2014, the Gamecocks were ranked in the preseason AP Top 25, coming in at No. 13.

All eyes were watching the Gamecocks at first, but after seven games this season, head coach Shane Beamer and company are 3-4, with every loss coming against the SEC. Quarterback LaNorris Sellers had expectations to be a Heisman Trophy candidate and a very early pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, but the dual-threat has been rather quiet this season with five touchdowns, two interceptions and 108 rushing yards on 84 attempts.

That said, Sellers and South Carolina didn't have the best start last season either, as the Gamecocks were 3-3 in the first half of the schedule. However, a switch flipped and Sellers led SC to win its final six games of the regular season, four of which coming against ranked opponents.

Alabama will face the Gamecocks in Columbia, S.C., this Saturday afternoon. Crimson Tide head coach Kalen DeBoer is very aware of South Carolina's 2024 turnaround and knows that the trend could continue in 2025, starting with UA. If there's a game for Sellers to prove himself and turn the tide, it would be an upset at home over one of the hottest teams in America—but can Alabama stop him?

"Watched a cut-up this morning with the defensive staff, and it's just one play after the other," DeBoer said of Sellers during Monday's press conference. "There was more. We didn't even need to see it all because the point was very clear, and we've gotta make sure our guys continue to rally.

"We've faced running backs and guys that are tough to bring down, but this guy touches the ball every single play. So, you can get to him. That's one thing. But you also, now, got to get him down. It's not going to be just one. It's got to take multiple guys rallying, coming from different directions. He's got the speed. He's got the size. He's just, he's super strong. He's a relentless player. He fights for every yard he can get."

Sellers has a rare combination of size and speed, as the redshirt sophomore measures at 6-foot-3 and 240 pounds. Alabama's kryptonite last season was stopping a mobile quarterback on the run, and while the defense struggled again in the season-opening loss to Florida State, it has made improvement in this area since.

However, FSU's Thomas Castellanos (5-foot-11, 201 pounds), Vanderbilt's Diego Pavia (6-0, 207) and Missouri's Beau Pribula (6-2, 212) are all smaller than Sellers. Taking down a speedy small quarterback isn't an easy task, and stopping an even bigger one with similar speed can be quite the challenge. For example, Alabama allowed 6-foot-3, 229-pound South Florida quarterback Byrum Brown to run for 108 yards on 23 carries last season.

"This is obviously a very dangerous quarterback in LaNorris Sellers," Alabama defensive coordinator Kane Wommack said during Monday's press conference. "[He] does some great things in the passing game, very hard to tackle. Almost never gets tackled and brought down by the first guy, anybody that can create and extend plays with his feet is certainly going to present challenges."

Kane Wommack is the son of Dave Wommack, who was a longtime college football assistant coach from 1979-80 to 2015-16, including a stint as Arkansas' defensive coordinator from 2002-04. Dave Wommack faced Alabama twice while with the Razorbacks, and the Crimson Tide was led by head coach Mike Shula.

Shula was the predecessor to Nick Saban and now he's South Carolina's offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach—developing Sellers. Kane Wommack doesn't personally know Shula, but is well informed with his offensive system, as well as the other members of the Gamecocks' staff on this side of the ball.

"They're very good offensive minds," Kane Wommack said. "They've got a very dynamic passing game, good compliments in the run game. They run the quarterback enough as well that makes things challenging to defend with the one-plus quarterback system.

"And so they present a number of challenges and anytime you have an athletic quarterback like that that has the arm talent to make all the throws on the field, they're going to make you defend the width and vertical stretch of the field. So it will be a good challenge for us."

With all of this in mind, South Carolina's 20.1 points per game ranks 115th out of 136 FBS teams. As previously stated, the Gamecocks struggled in the first half of last season before finishing it ranked No. 19 in the AP Top 25. DeBoer and Wommack both emphasized the challenge that Williams-Brice Stadium presents, and avoiding complacency as the No. 4 team in the nation is a top priority.

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