SOUTHEASTERN CONFERENCE FOOTBALL MEDIA DAYS

July 15, 2024

Luke Doty

South Carolina Gamecocks

Press Conference

Q. First off, mind explaining the hat and the outfit choice?

LUKE DOTY: The station I just came from, you had to customize a hat. I figured we're in Dallas, Texas, why not customize a nice hat.

Q. Where do you think you're going to have the most effect on the offense this season, what position, and how many do you think you might play?

LUKE DOTY: I think just for me, this year and even last year, the biggest thing was just doing whatever I can to get out on the field and help the team, whether that was playing wide receiver or whether that was covering kicks on special teams, I was more than willing to do it, and I still am.

It's something that I had a lot of fun doing last year. So I look forward to doing that again this year and just, like I said, doing whatever I can to help the team win.

Q. Spencer moving on to the NFL. What's the quarterback position looking like for you guys?

LUKE DOTY: It's an active competition right now. LaNorris Sellers is the guy coming out of spring, but as Coach Beamer has said, it's still a competition. LaNorris still has to do a great job of continuing to get better, leading the offense and the team, but, I mean, we've got guys in that room that no matter who is out on the field, you know, we're going to be put in a position to have success and win games. But at the same time, you know, everybody in that room has each other's backs. Like I said, no matter who is out there, they're going to have everyone's support. Everybody on the team, everybody the quarterback room, everybody's for each other and wants to see each other succeed.

Q. Rocket Sanders transferring in on the offseason, what have your impressions been of him and what does he bring to the table?

LUKE DOTY: He's all about business, and that's what I've seen from him from the day that he stepped on campus. He comes in every single day early in the morning to do treatment, get his body right for the day, and then obviously work out. He'll go, do more treatment. Come back in the afternoon, maybe do some more stuff with the running backs.

He does everything the right way. He's the kind of guy that younger running backs, younger guys on the team, they look up to him and they see how he handles himself on a daily basis because he carries himself like a pro.

I think that's going to pay off for him this year, going forward, just being able to stay out there on the field and have a big-time role on offense.

Q. I feel like everyone in the nation is wondering right now what team they're going to be in EA Sports College Football '25. What would be your pitch to people for why they should maybe do a dynasty or play as the South Carolina Gamecocks?

LUKE DOTY: I feel like we have a team that has a lot of depth and a lot of athletes in a lot of different positions. That goes for offense and defense. You're going to get exclusive players on both sides and you're going to be able to have a lot of success on both sides. So playing with us is going to make you some money.

Q. You've played quarterback some in this league. There's a lot of veteran quarterbacks in this league this year, but there's also a lot of newcomers. Is there anything, advice, wisdom, for those younger guys, maybe LaNorris, about what you have to do to excel at that position in this league?

LUKE DOTY: I think the biggest thing is, you know, blocking out the noise, is something that I've always tried to live by. It's helped me to get me to where I am today.

It's just keeping everything in-house, like having your support system with you at all times and not paying attention to what media, the news, articles, just everything outside of the people in the building and your coaches, not paying attention to that stuff, and just keeping your head down and just continuing to work. I think that's really the biggest thing, my biggest piece of advice, is just stay the course because, you know, can never get too high, too low. Stay the course, stay right, in the middle, level headed, you're going to have success.

Q. How big growing up was Brent Venables' name in your part of the country? What is it going to be like playing Oklahoma and what do they bring to the conference?

LUKE DOTY: He was a big name at Clemson. Playing them every single year and having to face him was definitely a challenge. And obviously he's at Oklahoma now, and he's done a great job there so far. It's another game that we're going to have to play.

It's the SEC. Every game's going to be a challenge. I'm excited to go out there and play at OU. It's going to be a great atmosphere. It's going to be a great time. It will be fun to experience that atmosphere for the first time in our conference.

Q. Following up on that, has Coach Beamer talked about anything -- obviously him going back to OU and maybe just a little bit more like the tradition that the Sooners have?

LUKE DOTY: He's kind of said the same thing, it's just another game for us. Obviously he's done some time there, and he's from there coaching-wise. But, I mean, I think it's just, like I said, it's another game for us. Obviously him going back there, I'm sure will be cool for him. But he's going to treat it just, like I said, as another game. We're going to prepare for them the same as we'll prepare for Old Dominion week zero. It will be a cool experience, for sure.

Q. What would you say offensively, kind of strengths of this team are and what kind of what confidence do you have you guys will have a bounce-back year?

LUKE DOTY: I think we've got playmakers pretty much everywhere you look on the field. At wide receiver. At tight end, running back, quarterback. You talk about the strides they've made this offseason and this past spring ball. I just can't say enough good things about those guys, the big guys up front, because as much criticism and stuff that they took last season, they've done nothing but work their tails off and do everything they can to make sure that that doesn't happen again.

I'm super proud of those guys. Super proud of the way that really our offense as a whole has worked, starting from January to where we are right now in the summer, I mean, everybody from, like I said, the wide receivers to the tight ends, to the running backs. Everybody has just worked so hard.

I think we're in a really good place, obviously, physically and mentally going into camp to where we can hit the ground running on day one and carry that momentum into week zero.