LaNorris Sellers a Heisman hopeful, but where does he rank among SEC’s best QBs?
Shane Beamer sat behind a teeny table just outside the field where hundreds of South Carolina fans had gathered, still on cloud nine after the Gamecocks’ 2024 win over Clemson.
It was there, at a makeshift press-conference setup following a spellbinding outcome when Beamer uttered what sounded preposterous and quickly turned to gospel.
“LaNorris Sellers is the best player in the country, and all you media people that vote on the Heisman,” Beamer said after his young quarterback led Carolina over Clemson, “if you’re not voting for that guy in the mix of the Heisman Trophy, you’re out of your minds.”
In retrospect, it feels like Beamer was pointing out the sky is blue. Well, duh. But before that game, “Sellers” and “Heisman” had not been mentioned in the same sentence. Sellers was in the midst of a solid redshirt freshman season with some bumps but loads of promise for 2025.
Then he racked up 330 total yards against Clemson, cutting and swerving into the end zone for the game-winning score.
Heisman talk was still a stretch, but Beamer planted a seed that has sprouted this offseason.
At SEC Media Days, both Sellers and Beamer were asked about the Heisman Trophy, talking about possible branding (LaHeisman?) and maybe a winter trip to New York. It is far-fetched no more. That Sellers is a Heisman contender and one of the best players in America is now common knowledge.
Perhaps the more interesting argument is where he stacks up in the SEC. Should he be thought of ahead of LSU’s Garrett Nussmeier, Florida’s DJ Lagway or Texas’ Arch Manning?
Asked during SEC Media Days on Monday if he thought he was the best quarterback in the conference, Sellers paused for a second.
“I feel like I could be,” he said. “But everybody feels like that.”
His coach went further.
“No disrespect to the other quarterbacks on this league,” Beamer said, “but I wouldn’t trade ours for any of them.”
And this year, Alabama, Auburn, Georgia, Kentucky, Missouri, Oklahoma, Ole Miss, Tennessee and Texas are all replacing their starting quarterbacks. Despite just a single season of SEC experience, Sellers’ wins over Texas A&M and Clemson give him one of the best resumes in the conference.
A year ago, he was a South Carolina commodity. He was the kid from Florence who looked like a linebacker and threw the ball a mile. Now, he’s a national product, his size and elusiveness being fawned over by NFL Draft gurus and football fans around the country.
This is new territory. And he’s still adjusting.
“I prefer just going out there and playing with no expectations,” Sellers said. “(So I’m) just not worrying about it. I’ve been playing football all my life, have had high expectations all my life for myself and my team. I’m just taking (the hype) in one ear and out the other.”
This story was originally published July 16, 2025 at 4:00 AM with the headline "LaNorris Sellers a Heisman hopeful, but where does he rank among SEC’s best QBs?."
