Zeb Noland, who came to South Carolina as a grad assistant a few weeks ago, has been named the Gamecocks’ starting quarterback in their opener this Saturday.
South Carolina opens against Eastern Illinois.
Noland has a year of eligibility remaining after stints at Iowa State and North Dakota State. Noland’s season ended in May with the FCS Bison, whose season was postponed to the spring because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
He came to Columbia, S.C., as a grad assistant on new coach Shane Beamer’s staff. But with the preseason injury to projected starter Luke Doty, Noland threw the pads back on and shared reps with redshirt senior transfer Jason Brown.
Doty suffered a foot injury after getting stepped on a few weeks ago and is expected back soon.
Noland backed up Trey Lance, the No. 3 overall pick in this year’s NFL draft, at NDSU before becoming the starter this past season, passing for 721 yards with five touchdowns against six interceptions.
