4 South Carolina Players to Watch vs. Texas A&M

Texas A&M enters as the clear favorite, but these South Carolina standouts could pose problems in College Station.

South Carolina Gamecocks head coach Shane Beamer leads his team onto the field during the Gamecocks 2001 entrance before their game against the Kentucky Wildcats at Williams-Brice Stadium. | Jeff Blake-Imagn Images

On paper, Texas A&M looks like the far superior team heading into its matchup with South Carolina.

The Aggie offense excels at running the ball which happens to be the Gamecocks’ biggest weakness. South Carolina sits near the bottom of the SEC in passing, rushing, and scoring offense, which is a recipe for disaster against an A&M offense that has scored 40 plus points in five of their nine games.

Still, games are never won on paper. South Carolina quietly features several players with legitimate NFL potential. If the following players come to play at Kyle Field, the Aggies will have their hands full.

LaNorris Sellers, QB

South Carolina Gamecocks quarterback LaNorris Sellers (16) passes the ball during the second quarter against the Mississippi Rebels at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. | Petre Thomas-Imagn Images

Surprise, surprise, the first player to watch is none other than the freakish quarterback who torched A&M last time out, racking up 200 passing yards, over 100 on the ground, and four total scores.

If you haven’t followed South Carolina this season, you might be surprised to see that Sellers has taken a noticeable step back in year two. 

He’s thrown for 1,536 yards on 61.7 percent passing with seven touchdowns and five interceptions. On the ground, he’s managed just 158 yards and three scores on 117 carries.

For comparison, last year he threw for 2,534 yards and 18 touchdowns with seven interceptions, while rushing for 674 yards and seven more scores.

Despite the dip in production, Sellers has shown flashes of the playmaker he was as a freshman. The last time he faced a defensive front as disruptive as A&M’s, he nearly led South Carolina to an upset over Alabama. If not for a pair of late turnovers, the Tide might have fallen that afternoon.

If Sellers can protect the ball and evade the pressure, he has the talent to make things interesting for A&M’s defense.

Rahsul Faison, RB

South Carolina Gamecocks running back Rahsul Faison (1) rushed against the South Carolina State Bulldogs in the second quarter at Williams-Brice Stadium. | Jeff Blake-Imagn Images

As good as Sellers is, he won’t be able to do it all by himself. Running back Rahsul Faison will need to take some pressure off Sellers’ shoulders.

He will be facing an A&M run defense that has struggled to stop the run in the past, allowing 128 yards per game. They allowed 203 yards to UTSA, 268 yards to Arkansas, and 207 yards to Missouri.

The Utah State transfer has totaled 350 yards and three touchdowns on 81 carries, averaging 4.3 yards per attempt. Not great numbers but he has a golden opportunity to exploit what might be A&M’s only weakness.

If Faison can’t get things going and help Sellers establish balance, South Carolina could be in for a long afternoon.

Dylan Stewart, DE

South Carolina Gamecocks defensive end Dylan Stewart (6) attempt to knock down a pass by Oklahoma Sooners quarterback John Mateer (10) in the first quarter at Williams-Brice Stadium. | Jeff Blake-Imagn Images

From the outside looking, it seems like Sellers and Stewart are both having a sophomore slump. One could say it’s like a Lamborghini stuck in a barn, elite players stuck in a mediocre team.

The difference is that Sellers has to carry ten other players every snap, while Stewart’s main job is to beat the man in front of him, or the occasional double team.

After recording 6.5 sacks and 10.5 tackles for loss as a freshman, Stewart entered the season surrounded by massive expectations. Some saw him as the SEC’s next elite edge rusher, with one PFF analyst even calling him “the freakiest athlete South Carolina has had at edge since Jadeveon Clowney, and Clowney was the number one overall pick in the 2014 NFL Draft.”

So far through 2025, he has come nothing close to that. Stewart has totaled just 3.5 sacks with three games remaining, far from the dominant production many expected.

Where he has continued to excel, though, is in run defense. Stewart’s 11.5 tackles for loss leads the team, even as South Carolina ranks third worst in the SEC against the run.

This weekend, he’ll face perhaps his biggest test yet against an A&M offensive line that has started every game together and will be eager for redemption after last year’s loss in Columbia.

Brandon Cisse, CB

South Carolina Gamecocks defensive back Brandon Cisse (15) as he releases the ball during the first half at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images | Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

Brandon Cisse is arguably the best cornerback in Shane Beamer's defense. He has totaled 20 tackles, one interception, and four pass breakups while leading a secondary that ranks sixth in the SEC, allowing just 190 passing yards per game.

A transfer from NC State, Cisse is expected to take on the toughest assignment of the day as he shadows KC Concepcion. The two were teammates in Raleigh and often lined up against each other in practice, making this a storyline to watch.

Cisse ranks as the third best cornerback on Mel Kiper’s NFL Draft board, and his performance against Concepcion could go a long way in confirming that status. If he can limit A&M’s most explosive playmaker, Marcel Reed will have to look elsewhere to move the offense, and that could close the gap between these two teams.