South Carolina's LaNorris Sellers and his Offensive Coordinator, Kendal Briles, will look to get well against Alabama on Saturday. South Carolina head coach Shane Beamer will try to survive in his job for another week.
Alabama's eight defensive backs who played against Florida State will also seek a bounce-back against the Gamecocks. On Monday, Kane Wommack bluntly addressed the performance of his secondary against FSU: " Highly disappointing and uncharacteristic pass defense. I think the worst I've seen since we have been here."
Against Mississippi State, South Carolina squandered a 16-0 lead, with Sellers throwing interceptions on back-to-back second-half drives. Based on the boos in Columbia, it appears that South Carolina fans have given up hope on Shane Beamer. Another shaky performnace by Sellers and they may give up on him and OC Kendal Briles.
Other Alabama Opponents with more QB problems than South Carolina
Based on cfb.stats.com, three other Alabama opponents have more serious quarterback issues than South Carolina. Including Sellers, Alabama will play four of the five quarterbacks with the SEC's lowest QB Passer Rating. The only one the Crimson Tide will not play is Arkansas Razorback KJ Jackson.
Keelon Russell will be a work in progress throughout the 2026 season. Despite that, Keelon's rating is 157.08, better than Oklahoma's John Mateer and Texas' Arch Manning.
Well below Russell is Sellers' 138.29 rating, and Auburn's Byrum Brown's 137.38. LSU's Sam Leavitt has a 127.31, and Texas A&M's Marcel Reed has a 123.94.
Byrum Brown is in his fifth college season and fourth as a starter. Sam Leavitt is in his fourth college season and third as a starter. Marcel Reed is in his fourth season and third as a starter. Their learning curves flattened out long ago. They will not suddenly get better. They may flash brilliantly at times, but will return to inconsistency.
Brown has the highest completion percentage of the trio at 64.6%. But Brown's pass-to-interception ratio is five touchdowns to four interceptions. Leavitt is worse, with a 61.3% completion percentage and three touchdown passes against five interceptions. Marcel Reed's completion percentage is an awful 59.6%, with the lowest yards attempted per pass in the SEC at 6.1 yards. Reed has six touchdown passes and three interceptions.
Brown, Leavitt, and Reed can gain yards on the ground. Leavitt is adept at escaping pass pressure. Brown must work behind a leaky Auburn offensive line. LSU, with its purported $50 million roster, cannot be excused for any roster weaknesses.
Note: Additional Player Stats provided by Sports Reference
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