South Carolina four-star freshman QB Luke Doty has been working at receiver
One of South Carolina’s prized 2020 recruits was Myrtle Beach High School’s Luke Doty, an Elite 11 quarterback who blossomed after picking the Gamecocks before his junior year. But of late, he’s been doing something he was asked to do as a sophomore in high school.
He’s playing some wide receiver.
Gamecocks coach Will Muschamp confirmed the athletic, dual-threat freshman has been working at receiver during the summer. The news first popped up on a Gamecock message board, and soon after several outlets learned he’d been working there.
“Luke is still a quarterback,” Muschamp said while noting he has a tradition where, after five spring practices, coaches on each side of the ball picks the 11 best players on offense and defense. “Luke Doty’s name kept showing up in those top 11. He’s sub-4.5 (40-yard dash). He competes his butt off. He practice hard every single day. He’s extremely bright, extremely intelligent, and he can contribute to our football team and help us win football games, bottom line.
“He’s a really good athlete. So he’s a guy who’s gonna play multiple spots for us offensively.”
South Carolina faces a slew of questions at wide receiver, with only Shi Smith as a proven option. OrTre Smith and Josh Vann have put up numbers at various points, but have not had consistent impacts as playmakers.
Since arriving on campus, the 6-foot-1 Doty has been praised as one of the fastest players on the roster.
He played receiver as a sophomore at Myrtle Beach, catching 35 balls for 391 yards and five scores. He also played some quarterback that season, throwing 30 or more times in three consecutive games early in the season.
The next year, Doty blossomed as a passer, throwing for more than 3,000 yards, running for 701 more and leading the Seahawks to a state title. He had them undefeated and rolling in 2019, but he suffered a hand injury in the playoffs and saw his season end after 10 games. He still threw for 1,847 yards and 25 touchdowns on the way to being named the state’s Mr. Football.
The staff approached the topic gingerly and still likes what he brings as a passer, but wanted to get him on the field by any means they could.
“Luke wants to play,” Muschamp said. “Coach [Mike] Bobo talked to him a little bit. I called him after coach Bobo and talked to him (and) said: ‘I don’t want you to feel we’re moving you. We’re not moving you. We’re trying to get you on the field.’ And he said, ‘Coach, I want to play and I want to win.’ Another selfless guy.”
Doty working at receiver marks the third USC passer in the past four recruiting cycles to catch passes at some point. Jay Urich, the first quarterback the Muschamp staff brought in after a full recruiting cycle, spent last year at receiver. Dakereon Joyner, who arrived the year after Urich, moved to receiver full time this offseason.
This story was originally published August 5, 2020 at 3:28 PM with the headline "South Carolina four-star freshman QB Luke Doty has been working at receiver."
