South Carolina didn’t have to look far to find some much-needed depth at quarterback, adding graduate assistant coach Zeb Noland to the active roster this week.
Coach Shane Beamer told reporters Tuesday that Noland would be practicing at quarterback.
The move comes days after Beamer announced that starting quarterback Luke Doty had a sprained ankle and would be questionable to play in the season opener on Sept. 4 against Eastern Illinois.
Noland, who was most recently Trey Lance‘s backup at North Dakota State, began his career at Iowa State, where he threw for 1,255 yards, six touchdowns and two interceptions in nine games.
He came to South Carolina in June with eligibility remaining but an intent to serve as a graduate assistant coach. He had been working with wide receivers coach Justin Stepp.
But when Doty was injured and the Gamecocks were down to three active quarterbacks, Beamer added Noland to the mix. Whether Noland appears in a game is unclear, but Beamer left the door open to that possibility.
Of the three active scholarship quarterbacks available, none have SEC experience.
Jason Brown, a redshirt senior, last played at the FCS level, and Connor Jordan, a redshirt sophomore, is a former walk-on who served as the scout team quarterback last year. Colton Gauthier, a former three-star prospect, is a true freshman who enrolled in January.