COLUMBIA — On Friday morning, South Carolina football officially began its 2024 preseason and took the field in garnet and black for the first time this August.

Fourth-year coach Shane Beamer is riddled with position battles and a roster full of transfers, which makes each preseason practice incredibly important for his staff.

During his news conference to local media on Thursday, Beamer spoke in length about injury prevention and working with the strength and conditioning staff to ensure the Gamecocks remain as healthy as possible. On Friday, there were no new or recent injuries for South Carolina, with all but one player dressed and participating in practice.

Zahbari Sandy, who tore his ACL during the spring and is out for the season, is the only player on the injury list.

South Carolina wide receiver Nyck Harbor returned to football Friday, suiting up for the first time since missing the spring season. Harbor runs track and field for the Gamecocks, which causes him to miss most football-related workouts and practices before August.

The 6-foot-5, 235 pound wide receiver played in 12 games last season for South Carolina and scored one touchdown. Beamer noted that wide receivers coach Mike Furrey, who was hired in February, has not yet worked with Harbor.

Furrey and Beamer both made it clear Thursday that the receiver battle is wide open, and no player stands out more than another right now.

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On Friday, the Gamecocks ran through a punt return drill where they had Harbor practicing returns. With his elite speed, there's potential for Harbor to excel in that role on game day.

Other members of the Gamecocks practicing returns Friday included receivers Aaron Morton, Elijah Caldwell, Gage Larvadain and Payton Mangrum, defensive back Vicari Swain and running back Juju McDowell.

Rocket Sanders, the senior transfer from Arkansas, practiced Friday for the first time in a Gamecocks uniform. He missed the spring while rehabbing shoulder and knee injuries but returns to the field not just healthy but physically stronger, according to Beamer. On July 15, Beamer said Sanders had lost 6% of his body fat since February.

Lulu Kesin covers South Carolina athletics for The Greenville News and the USA TODAY Network. Email her at lkesin@gannett.com and follow her on X, formerly known as Twitter, @Lulukesin

This article originally appeared on Greenville News: South Carolina football practice: Nyck Harbor returns, injury updates