Several factors hindered South Carolina in a dismal 3-9 season in 2015. There was a mid-season coaching change, a defense that was, at times, helpless against the run and a running game that was inconsistent at best.

The passing game had its moments, in part because it had so many opportunities with the team trailing in the second half of so many games. But ultimately, uncertainty at the quarterback position left the Gamecocks in the middle of the pack in most of the SEC’s passing statistics.

Considering that the Gamecocks started three quarterbacks — redshirt freshman Connor Mitch, true freshman Lorenzo Nunez and former walk on Perry Orth — the final numbers weren’t all that bad.

2015 STATS

Passing yards per game (SEC rank): 207.5 (7th)
TDs: 17 (7th)
INTs: 12 (tied for 5th-most)

QB PLAY

When spring workouts began, the three quarterbacks who started last season, Mitch, Nunez and Orth, were back in the fold. Another holdovever, Michael Scarnecchia, also was competing for the job.

A fifth player, true freshman Brandon McIlwain, enrolled early, making it a five-man competition.

During the spring, Orth (collarbone) and Nunez (knee) suffered injuries, leaving most of the reps to Mitch and McIlwain.

Mitch was decent in the spring and in the Garnet & Black Game, but McIlwain stole the show. He went 19-of-26 for 169 yards in the spring game while tossing two touchdown passes and no interceptions.

In the post-spring depth chart, the newcomer from Newtown, Pa., is listed as the co-starter with Orth, but it’s hard to find anyone who covers the team who doesn’t think McIlwain will start at Vanderbilt on Sept. 1.

Mitch now plans to graduate early and transfer, and four-star recruit Jake Bentley will arrive in the summer, but the job, at this point, seems to belong to McIlwain.

He brings a combination of speed, agility and arm talent that the rest of the quarterbacks on the roster can’t match.

He’s been impressive off the field as well.

“I think the thing that excited people the most is what he brings in intangibles,” Gamecock Central’s Chris Clark told SDS. “He’s a kid that’s an extremely hard worker, and he’s really impressed with that in the short time he’s been on campus during winter workouts. He was one of the top performers in most categories. He’s got leadership ability. He’s a great kid from a great family. He’s not going to cause you any trouble, and he’s someone that you can put some trust in.”

Wide receivers/tight ends/running backs

The roster turnover in these positions makes the quarterback spot look downright stable.

The team’s leading rusher (Brandon Wilds) and two leading receivers (Pharoh Cooper and tight end Jerell Adams) have moved on, leaving a very young group of players to man the skill positions.

David Williams figures to get first crack at the running back position after rushing for 299 yards as Wilds’ backup last fall, but he’ll be pushed hard by redshirt freshman A.J. Turner, who brings plenty of speed to the table.

Newcomers C.J. Freeman and Rico Dowdle will also get a look at what has to be considered a thin position.

Wilds was the third-leading receiver last season with 17 catches for 142 yards.

Inexperience is also a theme at the wide receiver and tight end position.

True freshman Bryan Edwards has started at one of the wide receiver spots since arriving in January, and the talented four-star recruit could be an instant success if he’s fully recovered from a knee injury that shortened his senior season at Conway (S.C.) High. He certainly didn’t show any signs of it affecting him in a solid spring game performance.

Deebo Samuel, whose 12 catches last fall make him the team’s leading returning receiver, also will feature heavily in the Gamecocks’ passing game. He had his best game against Clemson last year, hauling in five balls for 104 yards and a score.

Terry Googer, Javon Charleston and Jamari Smith round out the names on the post-spring depth chart, while several newcomers, highlighted by Kiel Pollard and Randrecous Davis, will eventually be in the rotation as well.

Youth is also served at tight end, where sophomores Hayden Hurst and K.C. Crosby are listed as co-starters.

PLAY-CALLING

For a coach with Steve Spurrier’s reputation, the Gamecocks were known as a run-first team during his half of the 2015 season. That didn’t change much when Shawn Elliott took over, either.

The Gamecocks had their most success throwing on first down last fall, despite only doing so 38.3 percent of the time. South Carolina quarterbacks were 73 for 128 for 952 yards, six touchdowns and two interceptions.

This fall, Kurt Roper will be calling the plays. He was Florida’s OC in 2014.

That season, the Gators went 61 for 114 for 810 yards, seven touchdowns and four interceptions in first-down passing situations. Roper dialed up first down passes 32.1 percent of the time in 2014, choosing instead to rely on his running game (which included his quarterbacks) to move the chains.

ONE STAT THAT MUST IMPROVE

There was a 38-catch gap between Cooper and Adams for the team’s receiving lead in 2015. Cooper was a dynamic player, but when everybody knows where the ball is going, it’s much easier for opposing defenses to devise game plans.

Spreading the football around a bit more would force defenses to honor more options, creating more space for receivers and potentially the running game as well.

GREATEST CONCERNS

If McIlwain hangs on to his lead for the starting job, can he hold up for a full season of major college football? He’s listed at 6 feet and 206 pounds on the Gamecocks’ football roster and 6-foot-1, 200 pounds on the baseball roster.

No matter what his true measurables are, he will run the football quite a bit in Roper’s offense. Avoiding big hits should be one of his primary concerns. It’s a good thing he already knows how to slide.

Assuming he can stay healthy, there’s also the not-so-small matter of a true freshman starting at quarterback in the SEC.

According to Gridiron Now, a true freshman quarterback in the SEC has topped the 2,000-yard mark only twice (Quincy Carter and Chris Leak), and only three times since 2000 (Tyler Bray, Leak and Kyle Allen) has one thrown more than 10 touchdown passes in a season.

For the Gamecocks to be successful this season, McIlwain will need to write his name on both lists.

BETTER OR WORSE

Orth was a warrior last season, taking the ball week after week in a lost season while every other quarterback battled injuries.

But there’s a reason he wasn’t recruited by major colleges out of Ponte Vedra (Fla.) High, and last season, he sometimes tried to make plays beyond his capabilities.

There’s no question that McIlwain has superior talent to Orth (and likely Nunez as well), but he is a true freshman. He will make mistakes. Defenses and schemes will confuse him, and he will be working with skill players who, for the most part, will be just as inexperienced as he is.

With Cooper gone, the Gamecocks don’t have an elite receiver. But they have, at least, more viable options than last season’s quarterbacks had.

With freshmen, you can expect big plays and flashes of brilliance punctuated by bad decisions and turnovers. That’s what we should see in the Gamecocks’ passing game this fall. More yards and perhaps more touchdowns but probably more turnovers as well.