COLUMBIA, S.C. — South Carolina quarterback LaNorris Sellers is now on the short list for one of college football’s top individual honors.
The senior from Florence was named Tuesday as one of 18 semifinalists for the Maxwell Award, which goes to the best offensive player in the country, and one of five from the Southeastern Conference. He is also part of the Davey O’Brien Award’s quarterback class, putting him in contention for the prize given to the nation’s best quarterback. That list will be trimmed to semifinalists on Nov. 17.
His numbers explain the attention. Through nine games, Sellers has completed 62.8% of his passes for 2,100 yards and 17 touchdowns, and he has run for 637 yards and seven more scores on 104 carries. That adds up to 24 of the Gamecocks’ 37 touchdowns. His 6.1 yards per rush leads the SEC, and his 304.1 yards of total offense per game rank second in the league and 12th nationally.
The offense around him has changed dramatically. After finishing outside the national top 100 in rushing, total and scoring offense last season, South Carolina now ranks in the top 25 in all three in its first year with offensive coordinator Kendal Briles.
Sellers has also been at the center of a four-game SEC winning streak that followed a 2-3 start, including a late touchdown run to beat Tennessee and a 41-yard scoring run on a sore ankle to put away Texas A&M last Saturday.
That ankle is the main question this week. Coach Shane Beamer said Sunday that tests came back clean and that the team fully expects Sellers to play Saturday night at Arkansas, with pain tolerance the only real concern. Sellers got hurt before halftime against the Aggies and skipped Sunday evening’s practice; Monday is a regular off day for the team.
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