We are just 83 days away from Carolina football, and this will be a big year for the program. It’s crucial that the Gamecocks make it back to a bowl game this year after missing out on one last season. The Gamecocks will be looking to bounce back, having added a lot of talent from both the transfer portal and high school ranks this past offseason. As we get closer, I thought it would be fun to talk about the young talent that I expect to make some noise in 2024.

My Takes:

No.1 Mazeo Bennett

Mazeo, a former four-star recruit from South Carolina and former Tennessee commit, was a big deal coming out of South Carolina. It was a huge accomplishment when the Gamecocks flipped him, and the hype has only grown since. From my own visits to practice this offseason and the spring game, I was able to get a good look for myself and was very impressed each time with his playmaking abilities. From my conversations with coaches and current players, they all agree with me that he could have a very good freshman campaign. As of now, receiver is one of the biggest question marks on the team. There should be a very healthy rotation of different receivers this year, giving him an opportunity to put up some numbers in year one.

– Fisher Brewer

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No.2 Dylan Stewart

I’m sure this one is not a surprise to anyone. A former five-star prospect who was once ranked as the No.1 player in the country and ended as a top 10 player, Dylan doesn’t look like your typical freshman. I’ve seen him up close a couple of times now, and he stands out with his size and speed off the edge. He was very disruptive during the spring game, and I saw the same type of play in practice. I think the entire edge room is in good shape this year and should have a very healthy rotation that gets guys like Dylan and Des involved.

– Fisher Brewer

No.3 Josiah Thompson

Also, probably not a shocker, another former five-star and the No.1 OT in the country coming out of high school, who dethroned Jordan Seaton for that ranking with his performance at the All-American Bowl. Just two months after ON3 said Jordan might be one of the best OL prospects ever, Josiah took that No.1 spot with ease this past January, with multiple recruiting sites making him No.1 after his dominating performance. Like the others, after getting an up-close view, I think Josiah could make a jump into playing a lot in year one. Not sure if he is a day-one starter, but the Gamecocks have been known to sub in and out multiple different OL groups in a game, and I think Josiah has a chance to be in group 1-2 for this team. He was the starting LT for LaNorris Sellers in the spring game and looked the part of an All-American tackle.

– Fisher Brewer

The Gamecocks have a very bright future with this group of young talent. These are just my opinions and my takes for this upcoming season, but these three have an “it” factor to them that I’m personally looking forward to covering this upcoming season at Williams Brice.

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MUMBAI, India — The Indian leader Narendra Modi was sworn in as prime minister on Sunday for a rare third term after nearly two months of voting in the world’s largest democracy. But for the first time, Modi will lead a coalition after his party was humbled in its traditional stronghold of the Hindi-speaking belt of northern India.

Modi, 73, made history by being elected three consecutive times. The last person to do that was Jawaharlal Nehru, one of the founding fathers of modern India and its first prime minister.

But Modi’s vow that he’d win a supermajority, which would have allowed him to reshape the Indian state that Nehru created, was dashed.

The prime minister will lead a coalition government after voters defied the predictions of exit polls, India’s mainstream media, and the markets that Modi’s BJP party would win a supermajority of two-thirds of all parliamentary seats.

As tallying began on June 4, it quickly became clear that the BJP would not clear a simple majority of 272, although it won the largest number of seats. It won 240 seats, and with its allies, secured 293.

Modi’s coalition now relies on allies, including two kingmakers, to retain power: N. Chandrababu Naidu of the Telugu Desam Party in southern Andhra Pradesh state, and Nitish Kumar of the Janata Dal (United) in eastern Bihar state.

President Droupadi Murmu administered the oath at India’s presidential palace, the Rashtrapati Bhavan, in the capital New Delhi at twilight after a sweltering summer day. The audience included some of India’s biggest movie stars and its wealthiest businessmen, including India’s richest person, Mukesh Ambani.

The close mingling of business and power appeared to be one of the key reasons why fewer Indians cast their vote for Modi than in the past.

There was a widespread perception among voters that the prime minister had swelled the coffers of big business while ordinary Indians struggled with low wages, high unemployment and rising prices.

Analysts say there was also a swing against Modi’s BJP by Dalits, who form India’s most oppressed castes, particularly in the country’s most populous state, Uttar Pradesh.

The results were also a cautious relief to many Muslims, who form India’s largest minority. They were often the target of hateful comments by the Hindu nationalist BJP. That includes Modi, who described them as “infiltrators” at a campaign rally.

“They’ve got breathing space, that’s what everyone is saying,” says author and activist Rana Ayyub. “But nobody’s expecting an overnight change in their fortunes.” 

Some analysts say this coalition government might be the best possible outcome for India: Modi, an experienced leader at the helm, but his most authoritarian tendencies curbed by his coalition. “Ultimately, the outcome is the best of both worlds in that it offers a degree of stability and continuity while the weakened mandate restrains the BJP’s ability to pursue its more divisive identity-driven agenda,” wrote Chietigj Bajpaee, a South Asia senior research fellow at Chatham House, a U.K.-based think tank.

Critics say Modi undermined India’s democracy with attacks by Hindu nationalists against minorities, and shrinking space for dissent and free media. He was widely perceived as using state institutions to shore up his power, from security agencies, law enforcement, and India’s election commission.

But restoring the health of India’s democracy — that might take longer. “For 10 years, India has followed a trajectory of de-democratisation,” wrote Christophe Jaffrelot, one of the world’s preeminent experts on Indian politics. “And, nobody can anticipate the techniques that Mr. Modi may resort to, to save his post,” he wrote.

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