Antwane Wells: FCS Standout To Power Five Star
This time a year ago, Antwane Wells Jr., nicknamed "Juice" by his coaches and teammates, was getting ready to go up against Weber State, a school located out in Ogden, Utah, that play in the Big Sky Conference at the Football Subdivision Championship level or FCS. When comparing where Wells was then to where he is now, it's pretty safe to say that a lot has changed for Antwane Wells Jr. as far as his athletic career is concerned.
Wells transferred to South Carolina this past offseason after a banner year at his previous stop in James Madison, where he caught 83 passes for 1,250 receiving yards and 15 receiving touchdowns, garnering second-team FCS All-American honors in the process.
So, the question about Wells wasn't if he was a talented player who could help the Gamecocks on offense. Everyone who watched Wells closely or had coached against him knew he had passed the eyeball test. Still, the questions people had mainly surrounded one thought of hesitation, would he be able to continue producing at a high level against SEC competition?
Admittedly, this was a fair question to ask, as, in the past, many lower-level players tried to make the jump to the SEC who were wildly overmatched and unable to carry over the success. If the first two weeks are any indicator, Wells will do just fine at his new home.
Through week two, Wells leads the SEC in receiving yards with 244 and is tied for receptions with Tennessee's Cedric Tillman, sitting at fifteen currently. These rankings come in lieu of a herculean effort put up by Juice against Arkansas, where he caught eight passes for a whopping 189 receiving yards, including a 62-yard catch and run that led to the Gamecocks' second touchdown of the game.
In both the Georgia State and Arkansas games, Wells has shown an ability to make plays for this offense, including scrambling to break open while Rattler's on the run, breaking tackles leading to extra yardage, and using his vision to find open space after the catch.
Wells has shown all of this in spades since the start of the season, and with lackluster starts from some other critical receiving threats, the Gamecocks have needed every single bit of it.
While Wells might not be able to keep this pace going, any doubts as to whether or not he could bring a significant impact to this offense have been silenced for now, and for Gamecock fans, it's something they hope will continue throughout the rest of the season.
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