How South Carolina lineman Vershon Lee is progressing in transition to center from guard
COLUMBIA — South Carolina football's Vershon Lee had never taken a snap at center before the team's 2023 spring practices despite entering preseason as the presumed starter.
The biggest change for Lee? Not wearing gloves anymore.
"My hands are like mangled up," he said with a laugh. "It's different from left guard where you've got the gloves to protect you. Everything's messed up."
The Gamecocks lost both starting center Eric Douglas and backup Hank Manos after the 2022 season, leaving the team without a clear option at center this year. Lee, who started seven games at guard last season, appears to have locked down the first-team spot just four months after transitioning to the position.
"I didn't even play center in high school, I played left tackle," Lee said. "It's been completely different. You see the field through a different lens so you have to be more vocal and understand what your teammates are doing. ... At left guard, you're usually looking at the left side, but at center you have to look at the whole field. You have to see what the right side is doing, the safety rotations. It's just (more) big picture."
Lee said the move to center has been made easier by quarterback Spencer Rattler's increased confidence entering his second season at South Carolina. Because he's used to focusing on just one side of the field, Lee said Rattler's communication has helped that adjustment.
"He's a lot more comfortable now, and he talks a lot," Lee said. "We talk a lot about, like everything we see to make sure we're seeing the same things. Center and quarterback, you've got to be able to see the same thing from every angle, so we talk about a lot with formations and stuff."
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Lee is also leaning on his now-graduated mentors to guide him through the early stages. He said he still talks to Douglas almost daily, and he's taken cues from both Douglas and seventh-round NFL Draft pick Jovaughn Gwyn on improving his leadership of the O-line.
"Eric was a very vocal leader ... He helps me out with a lot of things I don't understand. Even last year he would talk to me when things weren't going super well for me, and that helped me a lot," Lee said. "And Jovaughn showed me how to lead without saying much. Jovaughn wasn't a vocal leader, but he would say something if it needed to be said."
The vacancy Lee leaves at left guard looks likely to be filled by Nick Gargiulo, a graduate transfer from Yale. Gargiulo was a captain for the Bulldogs in 2022 and was unanimously selected to the All-Ivy League first team.
"When he first got here, Nick was like keeping to his way. Now he doesn't stop talking," Lee joked. "We can't get him to shut up. But he's doing great and having fun."
This article originally appeared on Greenville News: Why Vershon Lee's move to center is key for South Carolina football
