Ole Miss is not a particularly familiar opponent for South Carolina, as the two teams haven’t faced off since 2020.

But when the Rebels visit Williams-Brice Stadium for the first time in 15 years on Saturday, one player on their roster will be a familiar face to many within the Gamecock football program: Juice Wells, who is returning to Columbia after transferring from South Carolina this past offseason.

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Last year, Wells was a teammate to many players currently with the program. These players, along with the Gamecocks’ coaching staff, said they aim to focus on themselves, rather than Wells and the narratives revolving around this weekend’s matchup against his former team.

“This game’s about us. Obviously, there’s a lot of other narratives surrounding the game,” Luke Doty said. “But, at the end of the day, it comes down to us, the team that we have and how well we’re going to play on Saturday.”

Wells spent the 2022 and 2023 seasons at South Carolina after originally transferring from James Madison. He served as the Gamecocks’ primary pass catcher during his debut season in the garnet and black, logging 928 receiving yards and six touchdowns on 68 catches. Wells was named to the All-SEC First Team for his efforts.

His contributions the following year were much more limited, though, after he suffered a foot injury that lingered throughout the season. He caught just three passes for 37 yards and one score.

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Wells has since played a large role in an Ole Miss offense that currently ranks first amongst all Division I FBS programs in total offense (602.7 yards per game). Through five games, he has totaled 274 receiving yards and four touchdowns on 14 receptions.

Multiple South Carolina coaches provided short responses when asked about Wells ahead of Saturday’s game. Head coach Shane Beamer described him as a “good football player.” Defensive coordinator Clayton White went slightly further to say Wells is “competitive” and a “really good receiver.”

Beamer said the team’s preparations should not be trained on solely on Wells.

“I know we’re going to get the best version of Ole Miss,” Beamer said. “They’ve got a lot of really good players on offense. Juice is a good player, but you sit there and watch No. 9, the other receiver. They targeted (Tre Harris) 15 times Saturday. So, we better not be caught up in one player – we better be aware of him.”

Debo Williams, a veteran of both South Carolina teams Wells was a member of, said he plans to embody this mentality. His focus is on helping the Gamecocks win and improve their record to 4-1 on the season.

“Everyone in the SEC is good,” Williams said. “It’s time to play ball.”

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