Clik here to view.
South Carolina kicked off its spring practice on March 15 and will have its spring game on April 9. The Gamecocks are coming off a tumultuous season that saw them finish last in the SEC with a 3-9 (1-7 SEC) record.
The team was so bad that former head coach Steve Spurrier resigned midway through the season and accepted blame for its struggles. Honoring Spurrier’s legacy was the one of the few highlights of the season, the other coming days later with the Gamecocks’ win over Vanderbilt — its only against an SEC team — under interim coach Shawn Elliott.
Elliott went 1-5 as interim coach before going back to his offensive line duties this offseason. He was retained by new coach Will Muschamp — that’s right, the SEC’s worst team hired a coach that Florida deemed unfit for its program.
Muschamp headlines several storylines coming out of Columbia this offseason. Here’s what to watch for during South Carolina’s spring practice.
Will Muschamp as head coach
Seriously, this hire is still a head-scratcher. When Muschamp was fired from Florida and quickly hired as Auburn’s defensive coordinator, no one questioned it. That’s because, despite his disappointing tenure in Gainesville, he was one of college football’s best defensive minds.
Muschamp’s teams ranked in the top-10 for total defense nationally from 2009-14. But he’s coming off a season in which Auburn ranked thirteenth in the SEC. What was the only team with more yards allowed per game?
South Carolina.
So there’s plenty of reason for opposing fan bases to laugh at the Gamecocks right now. They finished last in the conference and hired a coach who turned a team just a few years removed from a national championship into a mid-level SEC East program.
Muschamp’s first spring practice session will receive plenty of attention. The coach is being given a second chance and needs to prove his critics wrong. This spring will be the first glimpse of what he brings to Columbia.
Clik here to view.
(AP Photo/Chris O’Meara) ORG XMIT: OTKCO101
Finding a quarterback
South Carolina’s quarterback play was abysmal in 2015. The Gamecocks struggled to find a consistent starter in preseason and — thanks to both injuries and bad play — rotated reps between three players.
However, Perry Orth was the best of the three with 1,929 yards, 12 touchdowns and nine interceptions on 143 of 261 passing. Orth is the favorite to win the job this offseason but Lorenzo Nunez and Connor Mitch could steal the gig with strong performances.
Muschamp won’t play favorites entering his first season and could start Nunez, the best athlete of the trio, if he thinks the sophomore provides the best fit for new coordinator Kurt Roper’s offense. But the quarterback battle will be something to look for in camp this spring.
Replacing Pharoh Cooper
Pharoh Cooper gave everything to South Carolina. He was consistently one of the best wide receivers in the SEC and managed to contribute as both a passing and rushing threat on trick plays as well.
But Cooper declared for the NFL Draft this offseason rather than returning for his senior season. That leaves South Carolina with little returning production from the wide receiver position.
Rising sophomore Deebo Samuel leads all returning Gamecocks receivers with just 161 yards and one touchdown on 12 catches. Not only will Muschamp and Roper need to figure out who will be throwing the football, but also who will catch it in 2016.
It’s going to be an interesting spring for South Carolina, and an extremely important one.
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