Lorenzo Styles Becomes De Facto No. 1 Target

Big news came for Gamecocks fans earlier this week when Michael Mayer announced he would bypass Notre Dame's final bowl and not play the Gamecocks in the Gator Bowl.

Mayer is likely the first tight end drafted in this year's draft, meaning Notre Dame would be without the central point in their offense. Though Notre Dame is without their best offensive weapon, wide receiver Lorenzo Styles is still dangerous.

Styles, a sophomore out of Ohio, was a highly-recognized prospect coming out of high school. He was ranked as the 20th-best WR in the class of 2021 thanks to his excellent ball skills and technique.

Though he doesn't possess special athleticism or size, his ability to haul in almost every pass thrown to him, coupled with his great body control and route running, make him a dangerous athlete. His innate ability to find open pockets in any defense's downfield coverage allows him to stack multiple chunk plays in every game.

Due to Notre Dame's large bank of offensive talent, Styles has yet to see a large chunk of the offensive workload in his young collegiate career. He has had over 300 receiving yards in his first two seasons, numbers that don't necessarily jump out for a guy like Styles. Though his stats might be a bit underwhelming, his ability to produce whenever he is called on is undoubtable.

South Carolina's defense will have a tall task trying to contain and limit his downfield impact. Especially considering the Gamecocks will be without corner Cam Smith, the secondary will have to limit open holes in the middle of the field.

Another thing to note is that Notre Dame's Drew Pyne will also be out of the game as he announced he is entering the transfer portal. Regardless, with Mayer opting out of the Gator Bowl, expect Lorenzo Styles to step up and have a big game.

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