With the SEC season just a few months away, here’s a look at the potential impact freshmen for each team. Recruiting rankings are based on the 247Sports Composite, which calculate the average of all four major recruiting websites (247Sports, Rivals, ESPN and Scout.)
Today we’ll take a look at South Carolina.
2015 Record:
3-9 (1-7 SEC), Seventh in SEC East
2016 Team Ranking:
National Rank No. 23
SEC Rank: No. 9
Class Breakdown:
5-star: 0
4-star: 6
3-star: 21
Top Incoming Prospects:
- DUAL Brandon McIlwain – 4-star, Council Rock North (Newtown, PA), No. 2 DUAL, No. 171 overall
- PRO Jake Bentley – 4-star, Opelika (Opelika, AL), No. 10 PRO, No. 194 overall
- WR Bryan Edwards – 4-star, Conway (Conway, SC), No. 45 WR, No. 231 overall
- DT Stephon Taylor – 4-star, McDonogh 35 (New Orleans, LA), No. 29 DT, No. 296 overall
- CB Jamarcus King – 4-star, Coffeyville C.C. (Coffeyville, KS), No. 1 JUCO CB, No. 13 JUCO overall
Class Overview:
South Carolina was the worst team in the SEC. This can’t be stated enough.
So much so that hiring Will Muschamp seemed like a “good idea” to the hapless program. You know, the same guy who Florida deemed unfit to coach in the SEC. The same Muschamp who was the highest paid assistant in college football and led Auburn’s defense to a No. 13 ranking among SEC teams — only South Carolina was worse — in 2015.
It was the dumbest hire in college football when it happened and will be so until proven otherwise. However, there’s little debate against Muschamp as a recruiter, which is the biggest plus of his hiring.
South Carolina is in its current position because of Steve Spurrier’s disinterest in recruiting toward the end of his career. Sure, he pulled in big names like Jadeveon Clowney and Marcus Lattimore in the past, but he didn’t put in as much effort during the classes of the current roster, hence blaming himself for the team’s decline and resigning midway through last season.
Muschamp managed to put together a respectable class during his limited time in Columbia. South Carolina ranked 23 nationally and ninth among SEC teams according to 247Sports.
What’s most interesting is that both of the Gamecocks’ top prospects are four-star quarterbacks, but both have different styles. Brandon McIlwain rated as the No. 2 dual-threat quarterback while Jake Bentley rated as the No. 10 pro-style QB.
McIlwain was listed as South Carolina’s starter during its spring game after a successful spring practice as an early enrollee. The Newton, Penn. native is the superior athlete of the two, however, Bentley is a more polished passer and also possesses the ability to run.
Obviously, the quarterback position needed to be addressed this offseason with South Carolina having a revolving door of starters in 2015. McIlwain seems like the favorite to play early of the two freshmen, but Bentley could work his way into the lineup as well.
Bryan Edwards will also gain the attention of South Carolina fans during his freshman season. Edwards rated as a four-star wide receiver prospect and has an SEC-ready frame at 6-foot-3, 208 pounds.
The Gamecocks have a huge need at wide receiver following Pharoh Cooper’s departure. Deebo Samuel, who played as a true freshman, is South Carolina’s leading returning receiver and he was limited to just 161 yards and a touchdown on 12 receptions.
Whether it’s McIlwain or Bentley at quarterback, the Gamecocks need to find some targets in the passing attack. Edwards should be South Carolina’s No. 2 option during his first season in Columbia.
Editor’s Note: This story was corrected to account for Connor Mitch’s transfer.
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