We’re now just 18 days away from Game 1 of the 2025 South Carolina Gamecocks football season. With fall preseason camp in full swing, all eyes are on the team’s August 31 showdown against the Virginia Tech Hokies. One thing we already know: LaNorris Sellers will be QB1 to start the season. But the question remains—who will be QB2?
The Gamecocks have several candidates vying for the backup role. Freshman Cutter Woods and Ohio State transfer Air Noland are in the mix, but the most experienced option is graduate student Luke Doty, the “old man” of the quarterback room. Entering his fifth and final season at South Carolina, Doty joined the program in 2020 as a highly touted recruit from Myrtle Beach, SC. That year, he appeared in eight games, throwing for 405 yards and two touchdowns.
In 2021, Doty followed up with 975 passing yards, completing 86 passes and adding five touchdowns over six games. However, his role shifted in 2022 when Spencer Rattler transferred from Oklahoma. From that point on, Doty became the team’s Swiss Army knife—lining up at wide receiver, contributing on special teams, and stepping in wherever needed. Despite opportunities to transfer, he stayed loyal to the Gamecocks.
As fall camp opened, head coach Shane Beamer addressed the backup quarterback situation. His answer? Luke Doty. “If we had to play tomorrow and LaNorris had to come out of the game for a play, Luke would be the next quarterback in the game as we stand here today,” Beamer said.
Doty’s edge in the competition comes from his experience under center dating back to 2020—experience that could prove invaluable, even if most of his recent game action has come at other positions.
It makes perfect sense for Luke Doty to be QB2. He was recruited as a quarterback out of high school and flashed real potential when he first arrived in Columbia. While the QB2 and QB3 spots will still be contested throughout fall camp, Doty is the logical choice—he has the most game experience, knows the playbook as well as anyone, and has shown unwavering loyalty in an era when the transfer portal and NIL deals make moving on easier than ever. Instead, Doty stayed and continued to grow both as a player and as a leader. His preparation is second to none among the quarterbacks battling for the backup role.
Head coach Shane Beamer reinforced Doty’s current role: “Luke is strictly a quarterback. Luke is smart enough where if we needed him to go take some reps at receiver — I shouldn’t say strictly — he’s still working in the return game. He’s doing all that, but in regard to offensive positions, he’s not doing anything with wide receiver right now. We could put him out there and certainly do some things with him from a receiver standpoint, but he’s working at quarterback right now.”
That versatility is valuable for a Gamecock roster replacing nearly its entire special teams unit. Having a selfless QB who’s willing to contribute as a returner speaks volumes about Doty’s team-first mindset. More importantly, having him as QB2 provides both flexibility and security for the 2025 season. If anything happens to Sellers, the Gamecocks will have a seasoned, prepared leader ready to step in—a presence the QB room will be glad to have when it counts.
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