LaNorris Sellers is ahead of schedule, and he's willing to be patient
The South Carolina quarterback has future NFL MVP talent
South Carolina quarterback LaNorris Sellers is ready to erupt.
He’s the most purely talented quarterback in the country, armed with enough natural-born skills to eventually be; the first pick in the NFL Draft, an All-Pro, and a league MVP.
And for as much as I love and routinely resort to numbers to support my analysis, I must say, most of this drooling over Sellers is of the old-school variety. His size and athletic genius leap off the film, even in games like the one against LSU in which he completed 9-of-16 passes for 113 yards without a passing touchdown and one interception in September 2024.
He looks every bit of his listed 6-foot-3 and 240 pounds, physically developed well beyond his years. Sellers can crank the velocity on a dig at the intermediate level or effortlessly flick the ball 60 yards down the seam.
Speaking of that, let’s now use some advanced metrics — Sellers had the third-highest adjusted completion rate (56.4%) on throws made 20-yards downfield among qualifiers in college football last season, per PFF.
Staying quantitative — in the final six games of the 2024 season, counting the bowl game against Illinois, Sellers threw 13 touchdowns with only three interceptions. His Turnover-Worthy Plays did equal his Big-Time Throws (nine each) in that final stretch. At face value — not very impressive.
But, those last six contests showcased demonstrable growth for the young passer. From Week 1 against Old Dominion to Oklahoma in Week 8, Sellers was credited with seven BTTs and 11 TWPs. Yikes.
In short, when it comes to time-tested pocket passing, the arrow is pointing skyward for this freakazoid.
Yet it’s as a runner where Sellers’ inherent ability was most immediately striking on film in 2024.
His missed tackle forced rate was a colossal 41.7%, and that wasn’t buoyed by low volume — Sellers toted the rock 141 times for the Gamecocks. He also had 26 runs of 10 or more yards.
Now for some context on those numbers.
Here’s how Sellers’ ground-game production in 2024 compared to that of… Ohio State running back and eventual Top 40 draft selection TreVeyon Henderson.
Insane, right?
Now, of course, Sellers and Henderson weren’t toting the rock on identical run plays. Quite the opposite, actually. Then again, who am I kidding? — a 19-year-old quarterback, in his first season as a starter in the SEC managing comparable rushing statistics to a four-year, monster-recruit running back who ultimately went in the early stage of Round 2 is downright silly.
And now, context on Sellers’ age.
Cam Newton’s legendary 2010 Auburn season — arguably the finest quarterbacking campaign in college football history — came at age 21. Josh Allen, meanwhile, threw just six passes during his age-19 year at Wyoming.
Sellers turned 20 in June.
He feels significantly raw. I get it. But relative to comparably large and similarly uber-talented quarterbacks with bazookas for arms, Sellers is actually ahead of schedule.
Will that matter though? I’ve clearly spent some time peeking at Sellers’ film with next April’s draft in mind.
But I’ll end with this nugget — I’ve heard the following from a South Carolina source:
Sellers currently plans to enter the 2027 draft, not the 2026 draft. Here’s why — he’s set to make hefty NIL money, loves the South Carolina program (and university as a whole), and really wants to play with his brother, Jayden, now a true freshman receiver, who enrolled with the Gamecocks in January.
Of course, things can change. But NIL money is no joke. Especially for program-altering quarterbacks. Do not be surprised if a 20-year-old Sellers ultimately opts to return to school even after what is bound to be a seismic 2025 season at South Carolina.