Fear the Specs! Learn More About LaNorris Sellers

When you first see the smiling face of LaNorris Sellers adorned with glasses, there is an air of wisdom in the professorial look of South Carolina’s second-year quarterback, which makes you believe he will someday achieve his goal of becoming an architect. When you see the 6’3”, 240-pound frame, you know you’re seeing an amazing athlete – a solid structure with which the Gamecocks can build their offense around.

“I’ve worn glasses since fifth or sixth grade,” said Sellers, who noted that some people call him “Specs.” “I probably needed them before then. I started wearing the goggles (in games) during my senior year of high school. Some people have mixed emotions about them, but I like them. They’ve grown on me.”

Sellers played in only three games as a true freshman, completing all four of his passes for 86 yards and a pair of touchdowns, including a 50-yard strike against Furman. He also ran for 51 yards and a touchdown on five carries, including a 36-yard scamper against Vanderbilt. Those brief but electric moments created a lot of excitement about his future leading the Gamecock offense.

“What I learned from last year is that I need to be confident and don’t be afraid to make mistakes,” Sellers said. “You need mistakes and for bad things to happen so you can learn from them. The hardest thing was adjusting to the speed at this level and the scheduling. You have to use your time wisely. My dad taught me that you have to work for everything you want. Nothing is free or just given to you, and you need to be humble about it and put God first.

“There is always something to prove, and it’s always good to have a chip on your shoulder. You want to win and do whatever it takes to win. You want to have an edge about yourself. You can’t let the pressure get to you. You just have to take it day by day. The thing that excites me the most is just winning. The SEC is the best conference in the country, and anytime you win, it’s an honor.”

A handful of plays from last year doesn’t mean he’s going to suddenly be a Heisman Trophy candidate in his first year as a starter. Sellers has put in the work in the off-season so he can combine his intelligence and athleticism to create a better version of himself to lead the offense.

“I understand the system a lot more than when I first got here,” Sellers said. “I had to learn at a quicker pace since I got here in the winter and had to learn for the upcoming season. After being in the system for a year and working with (offensive coordinator Dowell Loggains) ‘D-Lo’ and all the other guys, I have a better understanding of the system.

“As for my playing style, I don’t have any problems sitting in the pocket. I run it when I need to, but I have to protect myself. You can’t take too many hits. I need to move the ball methodically and get the ball into the endzone. I love playing quarterback.”

When he’s not working on his QB craft, Sellers enjoys time on the links.

“I like to play golf, and I’m alright,” Sellers said of his game. “I don’t like to keep score. I started back around Thanksgiving last year. I had played when I was younger, but then I stopped for a couple of years.”

As for his career in architecture, a class he took in the fifth grade inspired him to think of life beyond sports.

“We drew blueprints of houses and ever since then, I just fell in love with it,” Sellers said.

For now, the Gamecocks have designs of an explosive offense led by Sellers. While former quarterback Cam Newton was his favorite player growing up, he cited former basketball star Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and former running back Eric Dickerson, as other bespectacled sports standouts to be admired.

If his name is eventually talked about in the same sentence as those athletes, it means something spectacular will be on display in 2024.