Zeb Noland practicing but has to show USC coaches more if he’s going to play Saturday
South Carolina football had an open week to heal from the bumps and bruises of an eight-game stretch with consecutive games. Head coach Shane Beamer provided updates on Zeb Noland, Jalen Brooks and various injuries in his Tuesday press conference.
Beamer said quarterback Zeb Noland, who underwent a minor procedure for a right meniscus tear last week, is back at practice. However, Beamer is hoping to see specific improvements throughout practice for this Saturday’s home matchup against Florida.
“On Sunday night, when he came back to practice, we were really pleased with where he was after the weekend of rehab,” Beamer said. “He looked better today than where he was yesterday, and he’s just got to continue to progress during the week. For us, he needs to be able to do more in practice tomorrow than what he did today, but today was good.”
Noland remained in Columbia last week and over the weekend after his surgery and is “far along with the rehab,” Beamer said.
“The biggest thing is the mobility,” Beamer said. “He can sit in the pocket and throw. He can do that today — he did that today (in practice). There’s a difference between that and ... if you get flushed out of the pocket, if you’ve got to scramble or run, how effective he would be doing that with his knee.”
Noland played the first three quarters of the Gamecocks’ last matchup with Texas A&M on Oct. 23. Jason Brown came in for Noland in the fourth quarter and rallied an offense that had accumulated just 15 yards in the game’s first 45 minutes.
South Carolina’s depth chart for Florida lists either Noland or Brown as the top options quarterback, though a starter has not been publicly named.
Beamer said he wasn’t sure of wide receiver Jalen Brooks’ timetable for return, but he did say he does not expect Brooks to return for this week’s game against Florida. Brooks hasn’t played since South Carolina met Tennessee on Oct. 9 because of undisclosed personal reasons.
Beamer said he has been in communication with Brooks as recently as Monday night when the two connected with a FaceTime video call.
“Love the kid, and hopefully we’ll have him back soon,” Beamer said.
Beamer said offensive lineman Dylan Wonnum (back) is questionable for the Florida game, while defensive back Jaylin Dickerson (ankle) is doubtful.
This story was originally published November 2, 2021 at 1:56 PM with the headline "Zeb Noland practicing but has to show USC coaches more if he’s going to play Saturday."
