Zeb Noland is the newest quarterback of the South Carolina Gamecocks.
According to Mike Uva, the former Iowa State and North Dakota State quarterback has put down his clipboard as a graduate assistant and been added to the roster as an active player. (RELATED: David Hookstead Is The True King In The North When It Comes To College Football)
As we sit here 18 days away from USC’s opener, grad assistant Zeb Noland has a chance to compete to play for the Gamecocks. With how thin the QB room is, and with Noland still having eligibility, he’s now a full-time player, says Beemer. @wachfox https://t.co/oHY87ZOXk2 pic.twitter.com/Vv46FlflAR
— Mike Uva (@Mike_Uva) August 17, 2021
Yes, the Gamecocks now have a former grad assistant in pads and ready to sling some passes if he’s called upon.
This is pretty wild, but credit the Gamecocks for getting creative.
With QB depth limited, South Carolina grad assistant shifts from the coaching staff to the practice field.
Former NDSU QB Zeb Noland now on the Gamecock roster, he backed up Trey Lance last season. https://t.co/xuAy6IJGpE
— SEC Mike (@MichaelWBratton) August 17, 2021
Nolan is obviously not your standard graduate assistant. He spent time in the Big 12 as a QB with Iowa State and sat on the bench behind Trey Lance at NDSU.
Clearly, he can play football, but going from graduate assistant to a quarterback in the SEC is one hell of a leap.
It’s the kind of stuff movies end up getting made out of.
Zeb Noland, the Gamecocks GA-turned-QB as of today, played QB at Iowa State, was Trey Lance’s backup at ND State last season. “He has played in a football game more recently than anybody on this team,” Beamer said. “This is something we have been talking about for a while.”
— Josh Kendall (@JoshTheAthletic) August 17, 2021
All that stuff about Noland aside, the Gamecocks were already likely going to struggle mightily in 2021, but if they’re down this bad already in August, then they might get cooked once the season opens.
It’s never a good sign when a graduate assistant has to suit up, especially at quarterback.
We gotchu
Here’s clips of former USC grad assistant turned new Gamecock QB Zeb Noland during his ND State days. Big thanks to @NCouz for the highlights https://t.co/Mnh7ogey3p pic.twitter.com/PT5wdVsmJz
— Mike Uva (@Mike_Uva) August 18, 2021
I hope like hell he gets on the field because it’s be must-watch television. I’m pro-Noland, even if it means USC gets annihilated in the process.