Deja Vu: South Carolina is Replicating Kentucky’s pre-2022 Problems

It’s feeling like deja vu all over again in the SEC East. Ahead of the final year of divisions, South Carolina is repeating the mistakes Kentucky made ahead of a disastrous 2022 season. Unless the Gamecocks are able to quickly overcome their inefficiencies ahead of the opener against North Carolina, history will repeat itself this fall.

The similarities are striking, impossible to ignore. It all starts with a new offensive coordinator.

New NFL Play-Callers with Resume Blemishes

Although the timing was certainly much worse in Lexington, Kentucky and South Carolina each had to find new play-callers after surprising offensive coordinator departures. Mark Stoops and Shane Beamer turned to an NFL journeyman to find a solution to their problems.

Prior to his time in Lexington, Rich Scangarello worked for five different NFL teams in seven seasons. Dowell Loggains also worked for five different NFL teams during an 8-year span. Scangarello’s one season as an NFL offensive coordinator did not go well. Loggains produced similar disastrous results, although he could at least blame Adam Gase for poor play-calls.

The one slight different between Dowell and Rich are the last two seasons the former spent at Arkansas. As the Razorbacks’ tight ends coach, he got to experience life in the SEC while working for a rising star in the business, Kendall Briles.

Nevertheless, the addition of Dowell Loggains was not celebrated by South Carolina fans. After ending the season with huge wins over Tennessee and Clemson, Shane Beamer opened Loggains’ introductory press conference by attacking a reporter.

Defenders of Dowell will point to the recommendations given by his former NFL quarterback pupils, like Jay Cutler. An opponent should point out that Mark Stoops could have hired him last year, but few thought of Loggains as a serious candidate in Lexington.

South Carolina Shuffles the Deck on the Offensive Line

The depth at offensive tackle was in dire straits a year ago in Lexington. It forced Kentucky to slide All-SEC guard Kenneth Horsey to left tackle and play a redshirt freshman in his former position. UK brought in an Auburn transfer to play the opposite guard position, but the results were still disastrous. Kentucky gave up more sacks than any other Power Five program and finished dead last in yards per carry.

South Carolina moved its left guard to left tackle out of desperation. Jaylen Nichols suffered a knee injury in the spring game that may sideline him for the entire season. Now their offensive line’s best player might be a transfer from Yale, Nick Gargiulo. Mercer and Western Illinois transfers may also have to take serious snaps this fall for the Gamecocks.

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Notable Absences in the Running Game

The South Carolina offensive line will be asked to open holes for a player that started his career as a wide receiver. MarShawn Lloyd transferred to USC. Shane Beamer tried to replace him with players from the portal but swung and missed time and time again. Targets opted for Kentucky and LSU instead. Now Dakereon Joyner, a wide receiver that also spent time at Wildcat QB, is expected to be the primary ball-carrier

Kentucky was put in a similar pinch for the first four games of the 2022 season when Chris Rodriguez was suspended. Fortunately for the Cats, he returned in time to tally 904 yards on the ground, ranking 8th in the SEC.

Lightning Rod QBs with NFL Aspirations

Will Levis and Spencer Rattler do not necessarily play with a similar style, with one exception. Last year Levis threw 10 picks, Rattler had 12. The one thing they do share in common — EVERYBODY has an opinion of the quarterbacks. College football fans either hate them or are prepared to die on a hill for them. They also each have spent time in the first round of NFL mock drafts. Rattler hopes Loggains’ pro-style system will get him back in the first round conversation. Levis almost did it in spite of his former QB coach.

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Freshmen Enter with Lofty Expectations

Despite the turnover at offensive coordinator, Kentucky brought in its highest-ranked recruiting class in school history last fall. The results were immediate. Top 100 signee Barion Brown set two UK freshman wide receiver records and Dane Key broke another. On the other side of the line of scrimmage, Deone Walker was a second team All-SEC selection by the AP.

Shane Beamer doesn’t have the highest-ranked class in school history, but he does have one of the most anticipated prospects to ever wear garnet, black and white. Nyck Harbor is a 6-foot-5 athlete that doubles as a 100-meter sprinter. He’s a freak in every sense of the word. Beamer recently told Andy Staples that Harbor is up to 243 pounds and is playing receiver for the Gamecocks. South Carolina fans are dreaming of disruptive plays unlike anything the SEC has ever seen before.

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The Rub: It’s Boom or Bust for South Carolina

A blind man can see the similarities between 2022 Kentucky and 2023 South Carolina. The former held it together for a while, peaking at No. 7 in the AP Poll. It all fell apart when the quarterback failed to be a superhero in the season’s biggest moment.

South Carolina does not have the same benefit Kentucky had a year ago: the schedule. Florida was the only Power Five opponent Kentucky played in September and those Gators finished 6-7. South Carolina opens the season against North Carolina and Heisman Trophy candidate Drake Maye. Two weeks later they travel to Georgia, followed by a home game against Mississippi State and a road trip to Tennessee. South Carolina needs Spencer Rattler and Dowell Loggains executing to perfection right away, and even that might not be enough for the Gamecocks to avoid disaster in 2023.