Takeaways From South Carolina's Gator Bowl Depth Chart

South Carolina released their bowl game depth chart on Sunday evening, and there were a few notable changes in the wake of players leaving the program earlier this month.

Author:
Andrew Lyon
Publish date:
Dec 26, 2022 6:30 AM EST

As crazy as it sounds, the South Carolina Gamecocks are now less than a week away from facing off against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in the Gator Bowl in one of the most highly anticipated postseason matchups the Gamecocks have played in years.

In terms of their long-term outlook, things are looking up for South Carolina, as they were a clear winner in the early national signing day period and will bring in several players who could help change the perception of the football program.

However, in the first three weeks of December, head coach Shane Beamer and his staff saw multiple players leave the program via the transfer portal and opt-outs to begin their preparations for the NFL draft.

So it was no surprise that when the Gamecocks released their Gator Bowl depth chart on Sunday night, multiple alterations were made since the week of the Palmetto Bowl.

Offensively, Nate Adkins the only tight end on the depth chart, which could either be pure gamesmanship by the coaching staff or mean that South Carolina will make heavy use of the shotgun in this contest.

Juju McDowell, now No. 0, and Christian Beal-Smith are listed as co-starters at the running back spot, while Tyshawn Wannamaker seems to be the frontrunner to fill in for Dylan Wonnum at right tackle on Friday afternoon.

According to Beamer's remarks from last week, wide receiver Jalen Brooks is dealing with an off-field issue and was noticeably absent from the depth chart.

On the defensive line, senior MJ Webb will slide into the starting interior spots vacated by Zacch Pickens. Bryan Thomas Jr. is listed as the starting edge defender in the wake of Gilber Edmond's surprise portal entry and is backed up by Hot Rod Fitten.

In the secondary, O'Donnell Fortune has taken the spot vacated by veteran corner Darius Rush, while DQ Smith has had his jersey number changed to No. 1.

While the mantra "next man up" remains prevalent in Beamer's culture, there's no question that specific tenant will face its biggest test in Jacksonville later this week.

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