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The South Carolina Gamecocks enter the 2025 college football season with a lot of hype coming off an impressive nine win season in 2024. If South Carolina wants to find themselves in the college football playoff mix, they'll have to make a jump on offense. One way to do that is to find QB LaNorris Sellers a reliable number one option to depend on.
Nyck Harbor stands out as the likeliest pick to be South Carolina's number one receiver. The former five-star stands at 6-foot-5 and 235 pounds with legit track speed. He is coming off the best year of his career with 26 receptions for 376 yards and three touchdowns. Finishing second on the team in receiving yards.
Last season, Sellers' go-to option was tight end Joshua Simon, who is now off to the NFL. South Carolina has several good options to take over that spot in 2025. However, the one guy I'm keeping my eye on to finish as Sellers' top target is true sophomore wide out Mazeo Bennett Jr.
Mazeo Bennett Jr. burst onto the scene as a true freshman in 2024. Early on, he was the Gamecocks' leading wide receiver in yards before being surpassed by Harbor at year's end. The 5-foot-10 and 185 pounder out of Greenville, South Carolina, is versatile, able to play outside and inside for Mike Shula's offense.
Bennett's ability to separate from defensive backs as a route runner will provide Sellers an easy target down the field. Combine that with natural hands and able to track the ball well in the air, makes a perfect recipe for a number one target.
While Harbor has the highest ceiling on the squad, Bennett is one to keep an eye out for in 2025.
More must-reads:
- 10 most intriguing players heading into 2025 college football season
- Texas' Arch Manning reacts to grandfather Archie's 2026 NFL Draft prediction
- The '2024 NFL rushing TD leaders' quiz
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Ohio State Buckeyes’ costly addition is on the brink of looking like he chose the wrong school to transfer to
Not only did Ryan Day name Julian Sayin the starting quarterback of the Ohio State Buckeyes on Monday, but he also revealed his key protector at left tackle. Austin Siereveld has had a remarkable rise for the Buckeyes since last December. He is now a team captain, the starting left tackle, and an Iron Buckeye. “You guys keep asking the question,” Day stated jokingly as the media laughed. “Alright, mercy. Austin (Siereveld) will be at left tackle. But that’s it, you guys aren’t getting any more.” That announcement means one of Ohio State’s most important transfer portal additions may not actually start this fall. Landing offensive lineman Ethan Onianwa from Rice was considered a huge win for the Buckeyes, and many expected him to lock down the left tackle spot. Instead, Siereveld emerged as the better option, leaving Onianwa to battle for the right tackle job. Onianwa is competing with Minnesota transfer Phillip Daniels, and recent momentum suggests Daniels may have the edge to win that position. The silver lining for Ohio State is their depth up front, with players like Onianwa, Ian Moore, and Josh Padilla ready to step in. “I think right now we would say that we’re probably at six or seven guys that we feel comfortable putting in a game on the offensive line,” Day explained. “I don’t think we’ve fully decided how many reps everybody will play on the line, but I think you will see a little bit of a rotation.” If Onianwa doesn’t start, he could still play a key role at some point this season. Still, it would be a tough break for the 6-foot-7, 331-pound transfer, who didn’t need to return to college but chose to do so for another year.
New report sheds light on how Cowboys view Micah Parsons situation
It is no secret that the relationship between Micah Parsons and the Dallas Cowboys is not on solid ground, but that does not necessarily mean it is tarnished beyond repair. On the latest episode of his podcast, which was released on Tuesday, ESPN's Adam Schefter predicted that Parsons and the Cowboys are "headed towards divorce." Schefter said the two sides have not spoken since April and that it seems like a matter of when — not if — they part ways. Longtime NFL reporter Josina Anderson was told the situation is not quite that grim, at least from the Cowboys' perspective. Anderson reported on Tuesday evening that the relationship between Parsons and Dallas "has not deteriorated to the point of an imminent divorce." "I did not detect any obvious tones of concern in my sourced conversation when I recently asked about ESPN's Adam Schefter's report stating he sees 'these two sides headed towards a divorce, in time.' ... I just feel Dallas has so much history with protracted (and) sensitive negotiations, thus my current impression is the club remains unrattled, at this time," Anderson wrote in a post on X. Parsons is earning just over $24M in the final year of his rookie contract this season. The 26-year-old had 12 sacks in 13 games last season and has 52.5 sacks in 63 career games. Parsons is arguably the best pass-rusher in the NFL when healthy. Although Parsons has formally requested a trade, the Cowboys maintain that they have no intention of dealing their four-time Pro Bowl defensive end. The only real leverage Parsons has is creating a headache in Dallas. He remains under contract, and the Cowboys also can use the franchise tag on him in each of the next two seasons. If Parsons were to sit out regular-season games, his contract would eventually toll. Even with Jerry Jones publicly taking shots at Parsons, one massive contract offer could change everything.
Chicago Bears looking at bringing back familiar face at running back
The Chicago Bears don’t appear satisfied with their running back room with one week left to decide the 53-man roster. The Bears have until Aug. 26 to make their final cuts before preparing for the Minnesota Vikings in Week 1. The Bears entered training camp with questions at running back. Veteran D’Andre Swift had a down year in 2024. Roschon Johnson isn’t a long-term solution, and seventh-round pick Kyle Monangai will have a steep learning curve when the regular season begins. The Chicago Bears worked out a former running back Per Aaron Wilson of KPRC, the Bears worked out running backs Royce Freeman, undrafted rookie Kylin James and former Carolina Panthers practice-squad player Dillon Johnson. Royce Freeman played with the Bears in 2024 Of the three, Freeman is the only running back with stats at the NFL level. Freeman, a third-round pick by the Denver Broncos in 2018, has appeared in 79 games and started nine games. He’s rushed 471 times for 1,472 yards and 10 touchdowns. The Bears signed Freeman to the practice squad in December. He was then signed to the Los Angeles Rams practice squad in January. He last played a regular-season game in 2023, when he added 319 yards and two touchdowns in 14 games for the Rams. The Bears are signaling their need for a running back this summer. There are other options available in the trade market, as the Washington Commanders are shopping Brian Robinson Jr. during the preseason. More running backs will be available after other teams trim their rosters to 53 players, but they might not be the type of athletes to make a significant boost for the offense early in the regular season.
Commanders' Terry McLaurin reportedly wants more money than previously thought
Previous reports indicated that unsettled Washington Commanders wide receiver Terry McLaurin was looking to land "parts" of the five-year, $150M contract that the Pittsburgh Steelers gave DK Metcalf earlier this year. For an article published on Wednesday morning, Nicki Jhabvala of The Athletic offered an update regarding why McLaurin and the Commanders haven't come to terms on an extension after the 29-year-old requested a trade on July 31. "One person with knowledge of McLaurin’s contract negotiations said the veteran receiver has asked for more than DK Metcalf," Jhabvala revealed. McLaurin is in the final year of his current deal and will turn 30 years old in September. To compare, Metcalf will turn 28 in December. That said, McLaurin emerged last season as the favorite target for quarterback Jayden Daniels as Daniels guided the Commanders to the NFC Championship Game. "McLaurin believes he’s one of the best receivers in the NFL," Jhabvala added. "He’s been the Commanders' leading receiver every season since he entered the league (in 2019), and last year had the second-most receiving TDs in the league behind Ja’Marr Chase’s 17. He also ranked third in (expected points added) on targets and seventh in catch rate among receivers with at least 100 targets last year, but among that same group, McLaurin’s total receiving yards (1,096) ranked 12th and his average yards after the catch ranked 25th." Daniels seemed optimistic while speaking about the ongoing contract standoff during the ESPN broadcast of Monday's preseason game between the Commanders and Cincinnati Bengals when he said he knew McLaurin would "be coming through the door soon." However, Jhabvala noted that "it wouldn’t be a surprise if the [Commanders have] set a maximum range of $27M to $28M a year in average annual value for McLaurin." That seems to suggest the two sides aren't all that close to coming to terms on an agreement. It's unclear if McLaurin is willing to forfeit money by sitting out Washington's Week 1 game against the New York Giants on Sept. 7 amid his desire for a pay raise. If he isn't, he may have to soon accept the offer that's on the table to guarantee himself future earnings beyond the upcoming season.
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