Phil Steele shares his expectations for South Carolina’s offense in 2026

The bar to clear won’t be too high for South Carolina’s offense heading into the 2026 season. The Gamecocks struggled significantly offensively last year, averaging 22.7 points per game as one of the lowest-rated offenses not just in the SEC but in all of college football. That’s why in-season changes were made with the firings of offensive line coach Lonnie Teasley and offensive coordinator Mike Shula. And it’s why the offense, now led by new offensive coordinator Kendal Briles, is expected to not just be better than in 2025 but take a big step in the right direction this season. Phil Steele, who has South Carolina as his No. 10 most improved team in his annual preseason magazine, Phil Steele’s College Football Preview, also seems to believe the offense should produce better results. “Gotta love the fact that LaNorris Sellers is back. I think he’s going to look more like he looked when he was Superman at the end of the ’24 season than he did last year,” he said on 107.5 The Game on Friday. “Nyck Harbor really emerged late last year. His final two games were outstanding. And that offensive line has been a problem. Remember, they fired their offensive line coach mid-year. They were plagued by injuries once again. They bring in a ton of guys with starting experience that look really good on the offensive line. I just think overall, this is when Coach (Shane) Beamer does his best work, and not when he’s a big favorite, but when we don’t expect him to do anything, they win seven and eight.” Questions about this story? Jack Veltri is discussing it with subscribers on The Insiders Forum. Briles, who begins his first season in Columbia after spending the last three years at TCU, had some good years in Fort Worth. The Horned Frogs finished 40th, 25th and 43rd nationally in scoring offense under Briles and never had a season averaging less than 30 points. Briles calling the plays for this offense will undoubtedly help. But for real change to take place, Steele knows there’s one position group in particular that needs to make strides in a big way. “I think the biggest thing is, let’s keep those offensive linemen healthy. That’s really been the problem the last couple of years,” Steele said. “… With an improved offensive line, if they stay healthy, there’s plenty of experience there from other teams. I think they’re going to have time to mold together. A better offensive line makes a better quarterback, makes a better run game and gives more time for those receivers to get open.” While there were a lot of problems last year, it’s clear the struggles up front were a catalyst. Sellers, who didn’t have the same success as he did in 2024, was sacked 42 times, the most in the SEC last year. Just like with offensive coordinator, changes came with Randy Clements, who came with Briles from TCU, taking over as the offensive line coach. Former No. 2 overall NFL Draft pick Jason Smith also joined the staff as an assistant offensive line coach to work alongside Clements. Massive changes also took place on the offensive line during the season. In total, South Carolina saw 11 players from 2025 enter the transfer portal, while 14 newcomers joined the fold in a revamped room. With all of the new additions, Steele said it will take time for the offensive line to come together and develop chemistry. However, he expects things to look better there after how things went a season ago. “I like the fact that there is no second portal. We’re not bringing in players after spring, so they do have that extra time to jell together,” he said. “And if you watch last year’s offensive line, how injury-plagued they were and what happened during the year, they can only be improved.” What do you think? Join the discussion on The Insiders Forum.