When LaNorris Sellers, South Carolina football's new starting quarterback, was a toddler, his grandmother used to say, "That baby's been here before."

He was mature even from a young age, according to his father Norris Sellers.

Preparing his son to play football, the words of his mother continued to echo.

“That baby’s been here before.”

Sellers grew up known as the most athletic kid. That separated him from other young football prospects.

"Everyone always looked up to him, even guys older or guys his age just because of his athletic ability so he was thrusted into being a leader from a very young age," Drew Marlowe, Sellers' coach at South Florence High School, told The Greenville News.

Sellers started every high school game as a freshman and sophomore but a shoulder injury midway through his junior season cut his year short.

He returned as a senior and threw for 2,949 yards and 45 touchdowns and rushed for 1,338 yards and 17 touchdowns and led South Florence to the South Carolina 4A state championship.

After Sellers hoisted the championship trophy, he returned home and washed the dishes, his father said. As his hometown celebrated the triumph, Sellers silently scrubbed plates, replaying moments in his head before going to his room and watch it on film.

That's just Sellers. The player who throws for almost 3,000 yards in a season, the person who inspired his two younger brothers, including 2025 South Carolina commit Jayden Sellers. LaNorris Sellers leads by example, supporting those around him. He's an old soul whose simplicity makes others laugh. His personality is deeply rooted in football, with a sprinkle of eccentricity.

"He eats lemons whole, the peel and everything," Norris Sellers said.

When coach Shane Beamer told him he'd start in the season opener against Old Dominion on Saturday (4:15 p.m., SEC Network), Sellers replied with "OK," before going right back to the field. Sellers may be unassuming but will defend himself to playful chirps from teammates in practice, something Beamer said he'd just ignore in 2023.

The 6-foot-3, 242-pound Sellers, a redshirt freshman, is ready to ignite South Carolina's offense in 2024.

"That baby’s been here before."

That time LaNorris Sellers wrote Cam Newton

Cheryl Ford found her son writing one day. Sellers, then 11, scribbled "to Cam Newton" on an envelope, assuring his mother it was all the information needed to send the letter. Ford said her son idolized Newton when he was the quarterback of the Carolina Panthers, spending his free time watching film, studying Newton's every move.

Spencer Rattler, last year's starter, noticed Sellers was hungry to compete and calm on the sidelines.

“When he came in, he was super talented, naturally gifted with stuff you can’t work on,” Rattler said.

Sellers spent his entire freshman year learning from Rattler, who is now in the NFL. Sellers swapped socializing for nights in his dorm watching film and learning schemes, sitting by his computer with stacks of papers and playbooks. His father said he'd just block out the noise, focus and prepare.

LaNorris Sellers was always told, 'real men do cry'

Norris Sellers couldn't cry. That wasn't how his generation as a child envisioned men.

"I refuse to use that for my boys, I always told them real men do cry," Norris Sellers said.

Real men show their emotions.

Sellers' parents made a home that comforted feelings and left the door open for conversation. They never wanted their son's head to feel too heavy, where he couldn't focus on the task at hand so they encouraged him to get his emotions out. His mom said if there was an issue, Sellers sought advice and worked through it without putting down others in the process.

Still, Sellers was quiet. In high school, Marlowe begged Sellers to speak more, hoping he'd chew out his teammates, hinting that his reserved side wasn't always productive. Slowly, he began to become more vocal.

"Sellers' parents allowed him to fail when he needed to fail which allowed him to grow," Marlowe said.

LaNorris Sellers gets thrown out of practice

While most of offensive coordinator Dowell Loggains' focus last season was on Rattler, his development with Sellers began.

That development varied. Intense workouts, extra reps after practice, typical backup QB things. It also at times included tossing Sellers from practice. That was part of the maturation process Loggains said, with a goal to make him an SEC quarterback.

"He is resilient," Loggains said. "We know there will be lumps (along the way) but I have a ton of faith in him."

Loggains referred to him as a robot to illustrate his self-possession. Beamer has expressed a similar evaluation − "nothing fazes him," he said.

Sellers bounces back extremely fast, Loggains said, adding that he rarely makes the same mistake twice. His youth showed at times, but Sellers gained the trust of Beamer, Loggains and his teammates. That's why he's starting as a redshirt freshman.

"That's been a match made in heaven," Norris Sellers said of his son and Loggains. "(Loggains) makes a world of difference for the team, and it made a world of difference for the LaNorris."

South Carolina football's 2024 season

Those who watched Sellers flourish in high school hope to witness it again on a grander stage.

“I think that a lot of people around this area knew how special he was," Marlowe said.

This is his team now and he’s ready for the responsibility.

“Not saying too much, not saying too little, I try to stay calm, when bad things happen, you have to stay calm, you can’t get frustrated because it’s a domino effect," Sellers said.

When Sellers takes the first snap at Williams Brice Stadium on Saturday, his mom may hold her breath for a moment and say a prayer. His father will remember what his mom used to always say about his son.  "That baby’s been here before."

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: How LaNorris Sellers became quarterback