Gamecocks 'incredibly blessed' to have Luke Doty at backup QB

Aug 4, 2023
COLUMBIA — Teeth don’t have to be pulled to get him to say it. He volunteers it.
Yet he says it with no tinge of regret, just matter-of-factly, because it’s the truth.
Yes, Luke Doty wants to play. Yes, he loves being part of South Carolina’s football team despite not getting to play (much).
How do those two sentiments coexist? Still?
“I think it just comes down to putting things into perspective. There’s five of us here, only one of us can play at a time,” said Doty, back for a fourth year as a Gamecocks backup quarterback, and the second straight as the Gamecocks’ top backup. “I’m a team guy. I’ve said it the entire time I’ve been here, and I’ll continue to be that guy.”
It would be the usual “backup QB content with his role” story, because it isn’t the opposite — that of “star high-school QB took his ball and went elsewhere.” That would have been easy enough to accomplish.
Except …
Doty was playing. They wanted him on the field so much that as a freshman, he cross-trained at receiver and then started the final two games at QB. He was the projected starter going into his second camp until a busted foot during the first two weeks put him out for two games … yet he still wound up starting four of five games before the foot gave out again.
He got in five more games in 2022 despite Spencer Rattler transferring in. While coaches insist that “there’s competition for every job,” Doty knew exactly what Rattler’s signing meant. Guys like that don’t come in to not play.
Doty got a redshirt out of it, preserving eligibility for 2023, 2024 and 2025 if he wants it, plenty of time to complete his psychology degree (he’s on track for a December finish), a master’s in coach’s education and the start of a doctorate degree.
Doty certainly sounded on Thursday like he was planning on staying for all of that. Coach Shane Beamer and offensive coordinator Dowell Loggains have made it very clear that this year, it’s Rattler as QB1 and Doty as QB2, with the other three signal-callers on the roster battling for third.
And yes, Doty wants to be QB1. If it happens. He would never think of demanding it, something that wowed Loggains right away.
“He has such respect for Spencer, and the role that Spencer has on our team, that he never wants to step on his toes. He does it in such a respectful, team-first way,” said Loggains, who spent 17 seasons in the egocentric NFL. “This program is incredibly blessed to have this kid. I don’t use this word very often, but he is uniquely special.”
Doty sat at a table at the team’s media day this week with LaNorris Sellers beside him. Sellers, the freshman wunderkind, played his high-school ball about 90 minutes west from where Doty led Myrtle Beach High to the 2018 state title and was honored as the state’s “Mr. Football” in 2019.
Sellers has already been told he’s going to play this year, and the coaches haven’t been shy about expressing that to the public. He brings a blend of size, speed, strength and know-how that few have, especially as a freshman.
Doty knows he won’t beat him in a foot race, and he wouldn’t want to try. This isn’t a competition … although it is.
What it’s more of is a chance to make the team better. The pup is talented, but perhaps could use a few pointers.
“During the spring, he was texting me, ‘Let’s watch film, just for practice.’ Asks me if I have any questions,” Sellers said. “It’s only one guy on the field at a time. We have to learn from each other.”
Always with a smile and one of the team’s hardest workers, Doty was out there on Friday leading drills as the Gamecocks began preseason camp. He dutifully took his turn with the second string and tossed a long, back-shoulder touchdown to O’Mega Blake as the open portion of drills wound down.
Doty high-fived his receiver and went back for more, nary a push to join the first string on his mind.
“He’s not coming for Spencer’s job, because Spencer’s the quarterback. He knows that, and he will tell you that,” Loggains said. “There’s moments that Luke could affect the entire team with a comment, that sometimes he’ll hold back because he respects (Rattler) so much. I tell him, ‘Hey, you’re a leader of this team, one of the core leaders of this offense. Don’t be afraid to pipe up.’
“That’s very unusual, to have a backup that can affect the team like that.”