LaNorris Sellers injury update: Latest news on South Carolina QB exiting game vs. Vanderbilt after targeting call

Daniel Mader

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LaNorris Sellers injury update: Latest news on South Carolina QB exiting game vs. Vanderbilt after targeting call image

The South Carolina Gamecocks' momentum to begin the 2025 season came to a screeching halt on Saturday.

The 11th-ranked Gamecocks, following wins over Virginia Tech and South Carolina State, took on Vanderbilt at home but struggled en route to a 31-7 loss. Even before halftime even arrived, South Carolina found themselves trailing an unranked opponent after their star quarterback left with an injury.

LaNorris Sellers, who is also considered a top NFL Draft prospect, left Saturday's game after taking a hit that resulted in a targeting flag on Vanderbilt.

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Here's the latest on Sellers' status and how the Gamecocks' struggled in their loss against the Commodores.

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LaNorris Sellers injury update

Sellers had completed six of his first seven passes for 94 yards, no touchdowns and an interception to begin Saturday's matchup. It wasn't going perfectly for the Gamecocks, who fell behind Vanderbilt, but Sellers' presence has also made the team an early CFP threat.

However, with the second quarter winding down, Sellers remained on the field in some pain on a first-and-10 play. Vanderbilt's Langston Patterson came right through the line to knock down Sellers just after the quarterback had gotten a throw away.

Patterson was then called for targeting, which resulted in his ejection from the game.

Here's another clip from the hit on Sellers:

ESPN's Pete Thamel then reported that Sellers was "unlikely to return" in Saturday's game, and that was then confirmed as the star quarterback was ruled out vs. Vanderbilt.

On Sunday, Pete Nakos reported that Sellers suffered a concussion against Vanderbilt and he will "will continue to be monitored over the next 48 hours." Sellers' status for Week 4 remains unclear, though on Thursday he was upgraded to probable for the game against Missouri. 

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Who is South Carolina's backup QB?

Sixth-year passer Luke Doty stepped onto the field in relief of Sellers after the injury. Doty is listed as just an "athlete" on South Carolina's roster, as he's seen time at wide receiver previously; he totaled 140 receiving yards and a touchdown between the 2023 and 2024 season for the Gamecocks.

Doty has also thrown 233 total passes for South Carolina in his career, completing 141 of them for a 60.5 percent completion rate. He added in nine touchdown passes and eight interceptions, numbers that primarily came during the 2021-22 season.

In Saturday's game, Doty finished with 148 passing yards, no touchdowns and no interceptions as he completed 18 of his 26 passes. South Carolina did not score any points with Doty as its quarterback, a concerning sign for the team moving forward if Sellers missed any further time.

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Vanderbilt upsets No. 11 South Carolina

South Carolina was in some trouble against Vanderbilt even before Sellers went down.  It was Commodores quarterback Diego Pavia who found Sedrick Alexander to open the scoring on Saturday, and eventually, the rout was on.

Sellers also threw his first interception of the 2025 season on a short pass.

Vanderbilt kept the upset talks alive when Pavia went to Junior Sherill for another touchdown before halftime.

The Commodores rolled the rest of the way to a 31-7 victory, shutting down the Gamecocks' offense. Pavia totaled 177 passing yards, 24 rushing yards, two passing touchdowns and one interception.

With the win, Vanderbilt improved to 3-0 this season, while its SEC foe South Carolina fell to 2-1 and now looks likely to fall significantly in the polls. 

Daniel Mader

Daniel Mader is a Content Producer for The Sporting News. He joined SN in 2024 as an editorial intern following graduation from Penn State University. He has previously written for Sports Illustrated, NBC Sports, the Centre Daily Times, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, The Daily Collegian and LancasterOnline. Daniel grew up in Lancaster, Penn., with a love for baseball that’ll never fade, but could also talk basketball or football for days.