Heading into this season, junior wide receiver Nyck Harbor was seen as the team's top wide receiver after finishing second in receiving yards last season behind former Gamecock tight end Joshua Simon. However, sophomore wide receiver Mazeo Bennett Jr., redshirt sophomore wide receiver Vandrevius Jacobs and redshirt senior wide receiver Jared Brown also returned this season alongside Harbor.
The Gamecocks also recruited six freshman receivers in Donovan Murph, Brian Rowe Jr., Malik Clark, Jordon Gidron, Lex Cyrus and Jayden Sellers. Wide receivers coach Mike Furrey praised the group of freshmen coming in.
"They're super talented," Furrey said. "Obviously, that's why we wanted them here, and that's why we worked our tails off to recruit them to get them all here."
With five out of the six freshman receivers coming in being blue-chip recruits, and the returning receivers from last year, the door was wide open for not only competition but also opportunity. So far this season, Jacobs has taken his opportunity and ran with it.
In the past two games, Jacobs has led the team in receiving yards, bringing in 12 receptions for 236 yards and a touchdown, proving himself to be a valuable target for redshirt sophomore quarterback LaNorris Sellers.
Last season, South Carolina relied on its rushing over its passing, resulting in no wide receivers with over 400 yards.
The only wide receiver to eclipse 100 yards in a game was former Gamecock Dalevon Campbell.
However, Jacobs has reached the 100-yard mark in both matchups against the Missouri Tigers and Kentucky Wildcats, and is becoming a receiver that Sellers feels he needs to try and get the ball to more.
“Just a guy I can go to in man coverage against the DBs we play,” Sellers said. “He can run, he can obviously make guys miss, he's got an open field, so we've got to try to get him the ball more.”
Jacobs, who transferred from Florida State University after redshirting his first year, is in his second year with the Gamecocks. Last season, Jacobs appeared in nine games but finished the season with only 12 catches for 181 yards.
This season, Jacobs has already improved in every stat compared to his first two seasons, with 18 receptions for 323 yards and two touchdowns.
Jacobs' breakout has helped open up the offense and allowed the passing game to be a huge factor compared to last season.
“We always had confidence in LaNorris’ arm and the receivers to get open,” Jacobs said. “We just have to put it together.”
While Jacobs' breakout may come as a surprise to the fans and media, Beamer said this year's receiving room is very talented, and the production is no surprise to him.
“(Jacobs) did a great job tonight. We made him a captain tonight because all that kid does is just work,” head coach Shane Beamer said. “If you had said that back in August ... I wouldn't be shocked just because I feel like we have a really good receiving room.”
Not only has Jacobs been productive on the field but also in the classroom, being placed on the SEC First-Year Academic Honor Roll.
Mike Furrey talked a lot about Jacobs' growth in maturity over the offseason, allowing for him to be an overall more consistent player.
"Vandrevius Jacobs, who came from Florida State, really trying to figure out a role, super talented, just not very consistent, right?" Furrey said. "(That's) something that he wanted to work on and become more reliable and trustworthy, and he's earned a lot of that stuff also over the last six, seven weeks."
As the season progresses, the Gamecocks will take on five ranked opponents in No. 13 LSU, No. 5 Oklahoma, No. 10 Alabama, No. 4 Ole Miss and No. 6 Texas A&M. Jacobs will look to remain as one of Sellers' go-to targets as South Carolina strives to make the college football playoffs.
Whats next?
Watch Jacobs and the rest of the South Carolina Gamecocks (3-2, 1-2 SEC) travel to Baton Rouge to take on the LSU Tigers (4-1, 1-1 SEC) on Oct. 11. The time and streaming platform are yet to be determined.