South Carolina Gamecocks
Overview: South Carolina is a team in crisis. Steve Spurrier quit mid-year in 2015 after watching the Gamecocks’ talent level drop off into near-nothingness. Against all logic, South Carolina then hired Will Muschamp, whose career at Florida was a complete bust. Now the Gamecocks hope to ride a veteran defense and hope Muschamp’s one proven ability – coordinating a defense, particularly against the pass – will keep them bowl-eligible while recruiting fills in the gaps
Projected record: 6-6 (MSU, TAM, UF, UK, UT, Clem); 3-5 and 5th SEC East
Returning offensive starters: 4 (QB, WR, LT, C)
Returning defensive starters: 5 (RDE, WLB, MLB, LCB, SS)
Returning specialists: 2 (PK, P)
Unit ratings
QB: Fr DL: Fr
RB: Pr LB: Av
WR: Fr DB: Av
OL: Fr ST: Vg
Offensive breakdown: South Carolina was 99th in total offense last year, and getting back to 99 may be an achievement in 2016. Perry Orth returns at quarterback, but there’s no guarantee he’ll be the man again. Freshmen Brandon McIlwain and Jake Bentley were in the mix for the job as late as this week. Orth, a former walk-on, put up decent numbers as a starter last year but nothing special. Lorenzo Nunez, last season’s backup, who had a superior completion percentage to Orth (61.5% vs. 54.8%) has been moved to receiver. Unless McIlwain’s dual-threat capabilities develop quickly, or Nunez moves back from receiver, Gamecock quarterbacking this year will be all about Orth’s ability to protect the football.
South Carolina doesn’t really know yet who will start at running back. David Williams had a terrible 2015 season but came out of spring ahead of the rest. Surprisingly enough, Nunez had far better numbers despite not being a regular contributor. A.J. Turner, a redshirt freshman, appears to have pulled ahead at the position for now. Muschamp appears ready to stay with a one-back, three wide base look, although Rivers Bedenbaugh is available as an H-back.
Depth at running back behind the two veterans is a mix of true freshmen who, by and large, were mid-pack recruits, and walk-ons like Rod Talley. The one lone returning starter at wideout is also a walk-on, Matrick Belton, who caught a nondescript 11 passes in 2015 and will mostly play out of the slot in the new regime. Deebo Samuel and Bryan Edwards should be the other two starters; Samuel is the team’s leading returning receiver, with only 161 yards. Of the backups, only Terry Googer has anything approaching legitimate stats. At least the tight ends, led by Hayden Hurst and Kyle Markaway, have been targets in the past, although neither one of them has a tremendous amount of star power.
The offensive line is undergoing a similar rebuilding effort. Massive Mason Zandi is the best option, but he’ll be at a new position, moving from right tackle to left. The rest is up for grabs, with Alan Knott, at center, having the most experience. Cory Helms will almost certainly start somewhere, likely right guard, while Zack Bailey and Blake Camper led left guard and right tackle, respectively, coming out of spring. One thing South Carolina won’t be lacking in is height, as all starters other than Knott are 6’6” or taller. D.J. Park could end up in a sixth-man role. Christian Pellage and Donell Stanley are others in the mix.
Defensive breakdown: One thing South Carolina won’t be lacking for is a veteran presence. The post-spring depth chart found 10 of the 11 starters being either juniors or seniors, but productivity has been lacking recently. Along the defensive line, it’s all about potential. Defensive end Marquavius Lewis could be a breakout star, but his junior season was a bust. Boosie Whitlow and Shameik Blackshear figure to man the Buck position (think Jack in Alabama’s defense) along with Darius English. The tackle spots appear to be the property of Abu Lamin and Kelsey Griffin, although Taylor Stallworth and Ulric Jones are doing their best to push for starting assignments. If there’s going to be a unit that pleasantly surprises, this will probably be it.
The linebacker group is solid, with Bryson Allen-Williams, T.J. Holloman and Jonathan Walton holding down the starting jobs. Unfortunately, South Carolina’s one bonafide star player, Skai Moore, will miss the season with a neck injury. Allen-Williams figures to be the next star of this group. Senior Larenz Bryant gives Muschamp a veteran presence off the bench; redshirt freshman Daniel Fennell has turned heads. The defensive backfield is somewhat of a mess, although South Carolina is high on Rashad Fenton, a new starter at cornerback. The leader of the group, Rico McWilliams, missed the start of fall camp helping relatives affected by the Louisiana floods. Jamarcus King and Chris Lammons are pushing for starting jobs. At safety, Jordan Diggs, D.J. Smith and Chaz Elder, along with newcomer Steven Montac, will get most of the opportunities.
South Carolina might have the best special teams in the conference. Kicker Elliott Fry has become surprisingly lethal, especially on short- and intermediate-range kicks, while punter Sean Kelly is steady as she goes. Rashad Fenton gives the Gamecocks a true weapon on kickoff returns. South Carolina must find a replacement for Pharoh Cooper at punt returner.
Overall Trend: Down. Even if South Carolina makes a bowl game this year, the defense of this team is so filled with key seniors that the two- and three-year trends are negative. Mostly, though, this is about Will Muschamp proving he can actually be a head coach. Muschamp was overmatched at Florida and didn’t recruit well enough at key spots, particularly along the offensive line. He then failed to make much of an impact as Auburn’s defensive coordinator, with his most memorable moment of 2015 being nearly getting kicked out of the Alabama game for berating a referee. South Carolina is betting strictly on potential rather than results.
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