South Carolina freshman Lorenzo Nunez recently arrived in Columbia, S.C., to begin competing for his role on the 2015 football team.

He won’t be able to step onto the field for his first Gamecocks practice until the season is weeks away. But that hasn’t deterred Nunez from feeling like he should leapfrog Connor Mitch (and Perry Orth, and Michael Scarnecchia) to start the season opener against North Carolina.

“I’m going in to start right away,” Nunez said, according to The State. “That’s been my goal since I committed. If that goal doesn’t come to be, I’m going to work hard to be the starter next season or to start midseason.”

A four-star dual-threat quarterback according to 247Sports, Nunez arrived on campus at 6-foot-3 and 208 pounds. He’ll likely want to add some more muscle to his frame if he plans to absorb a lot of hits from SEC defensive linemen and linebackers as a running quarterback.

For now, though, Nunez may be the most physically-gifted quarterback on the team, at least athletically (2016 commitment Brandon McIlwain could be even more talented).

Whomever starts will get plenty of help from receiver Pharoh Cooper as well as running backs David Williams and Brandon Wilds. But does Nunez have enough time to absorb the playbook and develop enough to meet coach Steve Spurrier’s high standards?

If Nunez earns a backup role, it won’t be due to a lack of confidence.

“I’m a little bit like Connor Shaw. I can drop back and pass the ball, and I can also use my legs to extend the play. I can make a play out of nothing, if it comes to that,” Nunez said, according to The State.

The quarterback struggled as a high school senior, completing just 48 percent of his passes for 803 yards, two touchdowns and five interceptions according to MaxPreps. (He did run for 1,193 yards.) Nunez must prove he can do more than run the ball, as the Gamecocks already have someone who can operate out of the Wildcat formation really well — Cooper. But Nunez insists that he can be a college passer, not just a running quarterback.

“People who have actually seen me play know I can throw the ball,” Nunez said, according to The State. “At camps, I threw the ball well. Coaches know I can throw the ball. I’m really accurate.”

Although Mitch probably is considered the favorite to win the job this fall, no quarterback separated themselves by a wide margin during spring ball. Spurrier isn’t thinking long-term at this point, one would imagine. So it’s not out of the question that the team will at least give Nunez legitimate consideration.