Steve Spurrier has changed the perception of South Carolina football, once a program defined by mediocrity that left the ACC in favor of becoming an independent before joining the SEC along with Arkansas in 1992.

Prior to the Head Ball Coach’s arrival in 2005, the Gamecocks had just three bowl victories during their 112-history with a lopsided record against in-state rival Clemson, but have now captured four straight postseason wins during the most successful stretch as a perennial Top 25 team in school history.

Let’s take a look at the State of the Union, taking into account the last five seasons and expectations for 2015.

ON-FIELD PERFORMANCE

SEC standing: Upper tier of Eastern Division

Grade: B-

Last season’s disappointing 7-6 campaign soured an otherwise brilliant five-year stretch by the Gamecocks that included the winningest campaigns — three 11-2s — in program history and the first-ever Eastern Division championship (2010).

During that span, quarterback Connor Shaw, the school’s all-time wins leader, went an incredible 17-0 at home and kept the Gamecocks nationally-relevant with the help of noteworthy talent around him. South Carolina flexes 19 NFL Draft picks since 2010, including last year’s No. 1 overall selection, Jadeveon Clowney.

Over the last four seasons, Spurrier has the SEC’s fourth-best coaching record against ranked teams (7-6). We would give the Gamecocks an A grade here had it not been for 2014’s substantial drop-off considering preseason expectations as a division favorite.

RECRUITING

SEC standing: Average

2015 rank: No. 19

Grade: B-

Nine decommitments nearly proved fatal for South Carolina’s 2015 class, but the Gamecocks were able to salvage a 30-member haul in crunch time with a couple flips and late holds. Before four-stars Mark Fields (CB) and Arden Key (DE) said no thanks only to sign with Clemson and LSU, South Carolina was expecting its first Top 10 class since 2007, a result of three consecutive finishes inside the AP Top 10 and considerable national exposure.

Before this month’s late signing slide, the Gamecocks’ coaching staff had done a fantastic job maintaining premiere classes over the last few seasons, luring several of the nation’s most sought after players — including in-state sensations Marcus Lattimore and Clowney — to Columbia in hopes of competing for the program’s first SEC Championship.

Looking at year-by-year rankings since 2011, South Carolina’s average signing class came in at No. 17 nationally according to 247Sports.

PLAYER DEVELOPMENT

SEC standing: Top third of the league

Grade: A-

The Gamecocks have beaten Georgia, a program that out-recruits South Carolina annually, four times in the last five years and took down Clemson five consecutive seasons when the Tigers were an ACC favorite and had numerous All-American caliber players at the skill positions.

South Carolina has been able to develop its talent arguably better than any team in the SEC during this span. The Gamecocks had a three-star quarterback finish 27-5 as a starter, developed three-star defensive tackle Melvin Ingram into an All-American and watched Alshon Jeffery blossom into one of college football’s best receivers.

The defensive line was an area of weakness last season, receiving criticism for on-field ineptitude that nearly cost respected defensive coordinator Lorenzo Ward his job. A collection of players up front the Gamecocks have signed in recent years haven’t panned out talent-wise, a product of a lack of development and overall misses during the scouting period. Newcomers like Marquavius Lewis and Dante Sawyer in the 2015 class address the problem.

FACILITIES

SEC standing: In the bottom half of the conference, but improving

Grade: C

Construction is currently underway for the long-awaited indoor practice facility, a much-needed addition at every major college football program. South Carolina’s facilities are nowhere close to the recent monstrous updates at Texas A&M and Alabama, but the Gamecocks have developments in the works to be proud of including scheduled aesthetic renovations to the area surrounding Williams-Brice Stadium.

The Gamecocks have quadrupled their number of big-money boosters during Spurrier’s tenure, a necessity when trying to keep up in the SEC arms race.

COACHING

SEC standing: At or near the top of the division

Grade: B

Recent defensive struggles aside, Spurrier, entering his 11th spring practice next month, and his staff have done a tremendous job turning things around at South Carolina, a bottom-dweller in the SEC before his arrival. We’re talking about the Gamecocks every summer, an abnormality say, before the 2000s.