New coach of South Carolina’s offensive football line Will be friend it gives a typical refrain to divulge how you want the guys in his position to play. Like any offensive lineman, he wants a physical group and wants to set the tone of the entire attack at the point of attack.
What may not be so typical from an offensive line coach is the other part of his statement about what he wants to see from the players in his position.
Friend doesn’t just want a physical group of players, he wants those players to be team leaders. And this is not something that is always mentioned about line attackers.
“Number one, you obviously want to be a physical football team,” said Friend.
“No matter what you do offensively as a football team, your physicality starts with your group at the front. We want to be physical, we want to be a tough football team. We want our leadership to come from our offensive line. If your leadership comes from your offensive line, you are probably being led the right way in a program. Those are the things. “
There will be a lot of experience in the offensive line room next year for Gamecocks. Junior tackle Dylan Wonnum, who started since the middle of his freshman season, returns, although he is not a particularly vocal player. Jovaughn Gwyn, a two-year game is also back. Jazston Turnetine, Jaylen Nichols and Jakai Moore they all started in their short time as Gamecocks.
The player most likely to fulfill the leadership requirement is the starting center Eric Douglas, who enters his fifth year in the program, but has just finished his first year as a full-time starter. Douglas is one of the most vocal and passionate players in the entire squad.
“The first thing you need to do is get in touch with the players who are here and understand the sacrifices that will be necessary for us to be successful,” said Friend of the first thing he needs to do when he arrives.
“We are going to have to invest everyone, not only the coaches, but also the players. We will have to win every day. You have to improve every day. To be successful, great sacrifices and investment are required. This is the first thing we will do in our room, and we will approach it that way. “
Friend, who has experience as a trainer at the Southeastern Conference in Georgia and Tennessee, says he feels like South Carolina had “tough physical teams” when he coached the Bulldogs in 2011-13 and that he wanted to be part of the recovery.
Physicality and leadership is where it starts.
“You can see the size, the speed and everything everyone knows,” said Friend. “The intangibles, the importance of doing the right things, the importance of being physical, these are the things we want to be on the offensive line for.”