It was difficult to go sledding for South Carolina football last season. Gamecocks came home with a disappointing 2-8 record, firing coach Will Muschamp with three games left in the 2020 campaign. Athletic director Ray Turner wasted no time in bringing a familiar face to replace Muschamp, inaugurating a South Carolina’s new era of football under first manager Shane Beamer – a South Carolina native and former Gamecock assistant coach under the 2007-10 legendary Steve Spurrier.
While the new head coach has been on campus conducting winter training for just over three months, the Beamer era officially begins Saturday in Columbia with the first of 15 spring training sessions, culminating in the annual Garnet and Black Game within Williams – Brice Stadium on April 24th. With that comes a renewed sense of optimism and energy. However, there seems to be more questions than answers for Gamecocks heading to this critical spring camp. The hope is that the coming weeks will go a long way in addressing some of these issues, as well as providing some insight into the future direction of the program.
5 stories to watch during spring practices in South Carolina
1. How to get used
The Gamecocks’ plate will be as full as any team in the country this spring. USC players will not only be tasked with processing an entirely new manual, but will also make the difficult transition to new schemes on both sides of football – a unique “multiple” style attack under the new OC Marcus Satterfield and a new base Scheme 4-2-5 under the direction of DC Clayton White. And there may be a steep learning curve as players adapt to the new team’s field training styles.
Coaches will also have a difficult job. In addition to installing the new schemes, Beamer and Co. limited time to identify the players that best fit their system. They also have a small window to develop the necessary depth and leadership in a list that features an eclectic mix of new and old faces. In addition, the practice of spring will be vital to establish a new culture and lay the foundation that will determine the future direction of the program.
2. The quarterback competition
Collin Hill and Ryan Hilinski (transfer to Northwestern) left the program, leaving Gamecocks with just three quarterbacks on scholarships and a former replacement set to compete for their initial job this spring. Double threat signal caller Luke Doty will have the first chance at the opening show as the only defender in the lineup with SEC experience. Doty appeared in six games and made two games in difficult circumstances for Gamecocks last season as a real freshman – completing 61 percent of his attempts to pass for 405 yards with two touchdowns and three interceptions. He also had 91 run yards in the year.
While Doty appears to be in control, Beamer has made it very clear that, like all other position battles this spring, the quarterback competition will be wide open. That means Doty will have to outshine FCS transferee Jason Brown, the real freshman Colten Gauthier and former assistant Connor Jordan to gain initial approval in a competition that could last until the fall.
Brown appears to be the biggest threat to defeating Doty, with Gauthier playing the role of long-distance contender. Brown received honors from the FCS All-American in St. Francis (PA), where he played for a single season record of 3,084 yards and 28 touchdowns in 2019. Gauthier, the 23rd professional high school quarterback in the national ranking, must have ample opportunity to make a strong impression on the coaching staff as well. Can Doty establish himself firmly as a good starting player this spring? Or will Brown and / or Gauthier pose a serious challenge? Must be interesting.
3. Help is sought in secondary
Gamecocks have been hit hard by wear and tear in recent months. But no position group suffered more major losses than the secondary. Cornerbacks Jaycee Horn and Israel Mukuamu chose to focus on the NFL Draft after Muschamp ended. They also missed the prominent defensive backs Jammie Robinson (State of Florida), John Dixon (State of Pennsylvania) and Shilo Sanders (State of Jackson) to the transfer portal, leaving Gamecocks woefully short of players and inexperienced in the secondary title to the spring practice. And considering South Carolina’s transition to a 4-2-5 defense base under White, it will be critical for Gamecocks to find some answers and to establish depth behind their defense this spring.
The good news is that the closet is not completely empty for South Carolina’s secondary. Red Smith’s sophomore Cam Smith returns as a cornerback after a solid campaign in 2020 that included two interceptions. Gamecocks also return a trio of experienced security guards in Jaylin Dickerson, RJ Roderick and Jaylan Foster.
David Spaulding, transferred from Georgia Southern, and a pair of highly praised Juco cornerbacks in Marcellas Dial and Isaiah Norris were also hired to help reinforce the secondary. Spaulding and Dial are expected to be featured in the competition as a cornerback this spring, while Norris arrives in late summer. Other options that hope to win more prominent roles for you in high school this spring include Joey Hunter (limited this spring – foot), Dominick Hill and O’Donnell Fortune. Junior cornerback Darius Rush (recovering from shoulder surgery), Assumption College transferee Carlins Platel and real freshman La’Dareyen Craig will join the competition later this summer.
4. Who will step up the wide receiver?
Outside of receiver Shi Smith, South Carolina’s wide receiver fights last season were well documented. And with Smith now going to greener pastures in the NFL, there are some great shoes to fill. That will be the task in the hands of Beamer and new wide receiver coach Justin Stepp this spring. The good news is that there are many candidates. In fact, there will be 12 recipients of all scholarships competing for playing time this spring. And each of them has a legitimate chance to make a big impression, in what is shaping up to be the most attractive and open position battle in the spring camp.
Gamecocks return a lot of experience in the position. Xavier Legette, Josh Vann, Dakereon Joyner and Jalen Brooks have several beginnings in their resumes. However, none of these players were able to make a significant impact during their time in Columbia. That is also true for the wide receivers, tormented by injuries, OrTre Smith and Randrecous Davis, who gave up last season and hope to be important factors in their return this season.
Ahmarean Brown, transferred from Georgia Tech, may be the most intriguing candidate en route to the spring camp. The speedy wideout averaged 18.1 yards per reception and accounted for 10 touchdowns in the past two seasons for the Yellow Jackets. Brown is expected to have a significant impact on his first year as a Gamecock. At 6’7 “-242 pounds, EJ Jenkins is another intriguing transfer to keep control this spring.
Fast freshman Sam Reynolds, redshirt freshmen Mike Wyman and Ger-Cari Caldwell, sophomore Rico Powers and senior Chad Terrell are some of the other wide receivers who hope to break the rotation this spring. The real freshman O’Mega Blake will add to the already fierce competition this summer.
5. Positions of strength
There are legitimate concerns and question marks about several South Carolina position groups heading for spring camp. However, there are some real strength positions for Gamecocks that will be worth monitoring this spring as well. The main one is a race room that looks as good as any other at the SEC. SEC running back Kevin Harris returns after leading the conference in race yards per game last fall. And all eyes will be on ex-running back 5-star MarShawn Lloyd this spring, as he comes back from a torn ACL, albeit in limited capacity. The tight end also appears to be a strong position for the USC, with the return of Nick Muse to keep up with the promises of Keveon Mullins and Jaheim Bell.
Despite losing the prominent offensive striker Sadarius Hutcherson, Gamecocks are expected to see an improvement in the trenches with the return of eight players along the offensive line they started during their university careers. Gamecocks must also be strong in the trenches on the other side of the ball. Kingsley Enagbare is the headliner along the defensive line, while former five-star strikers Zacch Pickens and Jordan Burch are looking to take a big step forward this spring. Gamecocks also added the Jordan Strachan edge rusher via the transfer portal to help increase the pass rush after accumulating 10.5 FBS-best sacks last season in Georgia. It will be interesting to see how these position groups and key players progress in the coming weeks.
– Written by Rob McVey, who is part of the Athlon Contributor Network. Follow him on Twitter @Rob_UTVOLS.
(Top screen capture courtesy of @GamecocksOnline)