South Carolina coach Shane Beamer likes to say that competition is the heart of his program. No spot is guaranteed. The playing time you get is based on your performance on the practice field.
Now, all Gamecock fans know that LaNorris Sellers will be the starting quarterback, and Nyck Harbor will be a starting receiver, and if healthy, Dylan Stewart will start at edge. But throughout the rest of the two-deep, there will be a lot of competition for starting jobs this summer and in camp, based on what Beamer stated during spring practice.
Placekicking will definitely be one of those competitive hotspots. Apparently, no one emerged in the spring from among Max Kelley, Mason Love, and Upton Bellenfant to be the guy to put the ball between the uprights. Thus, Beamer and special teams coordinator Matthew Smiley kept checking the free agent market, and they landed on Malik Orsan from Southeast Missouri State.
“They came to me wanting to bring in a kicker after the spring, and they saw my film and liked it,” Orsan said. “They brought me in for an OV, and I loved it there and thought that going there was the best possible move I could make for my NFL aspirations. Coach Beamer and his special teams staff have worked with so many current NFL specialists, it’s hard not to want to play for him and his staff.”
Orsan is a native of St. Louis and did not attempt a kick last season as a freshman at SEMO. But he had an impressive high school senior season, making eight field goals and earning first-team All-State honors for his school’s classification. He was also impressive at the Kohl’s Professional Kicking 2024 Southern Winter Showcase, where he made 14 of 15 field goal attempts.
“I think they liked how detailed and technical I am, along with my work ethic,” Orsan said. “I’m a very consistent ball striker, which I think gives me an edge over some other guys.”
Orsan will be stepping into an already crowded kicking room at USC, but he saw that as a positive and not a negative when evaluating the opportunity.
“Competition makes everyone better,” he said. “All you gotta do is focus on yourself and make sure you’re doing the right things and helping everyone in the room get better.”