New South Carolina coach Will Muschamp continues to add coaches to his staff, even as he traverses the Eastern Seaboard in an effort to shore up the 2016 recruiting class.

Hiring the right assistants is very important. They have close contact with players and play a key role in their development. They also serve as recruiters, talking schemes and building relationships with recruits before they arrive on campus.

On the coordinator level, having the right guy is even more critical. They make the game plans, call the plays and dole out playing time. Getting these hires wrong can shorten a coach’s stay at a school.

Muschamp probably learned that in Florida. Charlie Weis (2011) and Brent Pease (2012 and 2013) were his first two hires as offensive coordinators, and both were disappointments. The Gators showed some improvement under Kurt Roper in 2014, but by then, the school’s patience with Muschamp had worn out.

Roper is coming with Muschamp to Columbia, and he already has a few other names in place. Let’s go down the list:

Kurt Roper, offensive coordinator — Roper spent the 2015 season in the NFL as a consultant for the Cleveland Browns, but made his name coaching under David Cutcliffe at Ole Miss and Duke.

He favors a balanced attack out of a spread formation with a quarterback mobile enough to run a little read option. And he’s managed to impress former South Carolina QB Connor Shaw, who worked with him in Cleveland.

“(Roper) understands (quarterback) play and operation,” Shaw tweeted. “Those guys will love him. (He) has been huge for me here in (Cleveland). Great offensive mind.”

Pros: He’s regarded as bright offensive mind with a track record of running successful college offenses in both the ACC and SEC. He can also point to guys like Eli Manning, Thad Lewis and Sean Renfree as guys he helped prepare for the NFL.

Cons: He’s not known as a top-notch recruiter, and his best finish as a coordinator in total offense was Manning’s senior season at Ole Miss in 2003, when the Rebels ranked 21st nationally.

Travaris Robinson, defensive coordinator — Robinson coached the defensive backs for the Gators during Muschamp’s tenure, and coached under him again last season at Auburn. This will be the first coordinator job for the 34-year-old former Auburn defensive back, who also spent three years in the NFL with Atlanta and Tampa Bay.

Pros: He’s young and energetic, and as a member of Muschamp’s coaching tree, the two will work well together. He’s also known as a top-notch recruiter, topping a 2013 list compiled by ESPN. He’s a Miami native, and he’s spent virtually his entire career playing and working in SEC territory.

Cons: He’s never been a coordinator, so he’ll be learning on the job a bit.

Ellis Johnson, defensive coach — A South Carolina native and vastly experienced defensive coach will be joining Muschamp’s staff in Columbia. Reports suggest that he’ll be coaching linebackers.

Pros: He’s a little like Johnny Cash. He’s been everywhere, man. He’s been a coordinator at Appalachian State, Southern Miss, Clemson, Alabama, Mississippi State and Auburn. Loads of experience for Robinson to tap into.

Cons: If he were going to be the coordinator, I’d point out his age (63) and dodgy recent track record. But as a coach to help a first-year coordinator? He’s perfect.

Shawn Elliott, offensive line coach — The interim coach for the Gamecocks in the wake of the Steve Spurrier departure, Elliott will be sticking around to coach the offensive line. His 1-5 record as head coach wasn’t stellar, but he deserves credit for keeping the team focused and together during a trying time.

Pros: He’s a South Carolina native with strong ties to the university. His passion and intensity resonate with players, and he’s just the sort of guy you want on the recruiting trail selling your school.

Cons: Aside from his association with last year’s train wreck, none are obvious.

Bobby Bentley, running backs coach — Another coach with strong ties to the Palmetto State, Bentley, who spent the last two seasons as an offensive analyst for Auburn, will be coaching the running backs.

Pros: As a long-time high school coach in the Palmetto State, and a former coach and player at Presbyterian, Bentley knows the state extremely well. He’s also the father of Jake, a highly touted quarterback in the Class of 2017. You’d have to imagine the Gamecocks’ chances of landing Jake would be pretty good.

Cons: With his years of high school and college coaching experience, there really aren’t any. He did coach Marcus Lattimore in high school, after all.