COLUMBIA, S.C. (WCIV) — South Carolina’s LaNorris Sellers earned some early praise from ESPN Thursday.

The do-it-all Gamecocks quarterback was ranked the No. 7 Heisman contender roughly 100 days from Week 0 of the College Football season.

“There may not be a more valuable player in the country than the 6-foot-3, 240-pound Sellers, who’s next to impossible to tackle when he breaks out of the pocket,” ESPN’s Chris Low wrote. “Sellers looks and plays a lot like Cam Newton did when Newton was at Auburn for his 2010 Heisman Trophy season.”

The redshirt sophomore enjoyed a breakout season in 2024, passing for 2,534 while collecting 25 touchdowns (18 passing, seven rushing). He became one of five Power 4 quarterbacks to hit the benchmarks of passing for more than 2,500 yards and rushing for more than 600 yards.

READ MORE | “Three South Carolina football stars make ESPN’s top 100 list for 2024-25 season.”

2024’s Palmetto Bowl was one of Sellers’ finest moments during his redshirt freshman season. In what became a 17-14 win over Clemson, Sellers amassed 166 rushing yards and two touchdowns while looking completely unbeatable for long stretches of the contest.

One of those unstoppable moments came when, with just over one minute remaining, he escaped a sack and outmaneuvered most of the Tigers’ defense on his way to the end zone for a game-winning score.

Then, two games before Sellers’ heroics against Clemson, he set career bests with 353 yards passing and five TD throws in twice rallying the Gamecocks from fourth-quarter deficits to defeat Missouri 34-30.

READ MORE | “Sellers’ 20-yard TD run lifts No. 16 South Carolina to 17-14 win over No. 12 Clemson.”

Sellers’ play at the end of the season drew praise from Shane Beamer, South Carolina’s head coach.

“He’s a competitor, he’s a warrior,” Beamer said of Sellers after the win in the Palmetto Bowl. “He doesn’t get too high or too low. He’s out there having fun.”

Also on ESPN’s Heisman contenders list was Ryan Williams, John Mateer, Jeremiyah Love, Drew Allar, DJ Lagway, Garrett Nussmeier, Jeremiah Smith, Arch Manning and Cade Klubnik.

Of Klubnik, ESPN said: “The 6-2, 210-pound senior ranks in the top five in Clemson history in nearly every passing category and put up huge numbers a year ago when he was one of two FBS quarterbacks with more than 3,600 passing yards and 400 rushing yards. He accounted for 43 touchdowns (36 passing, seven rushing) and threw only six interceptions in 486 passing attempts. What’s more exciting is he has all of his top wide receivers returning for the 2025 season.”