Everyone wants to know: Will this be Steve Spurrier’s final season at South Carolina?

Well, that depends.

That depends on noticeable promise at the quarterback position. That depends if the Gamecocks’ defense shows improvement. That depends if the Head Ball Coach still has the internal fire burning at season’s end.

Coming off a 7-6 disappointment, South Carolina’s in unfamiliar territory as a team that has already, for the most part, been written off as a division contender this fall. For the first time in a few years, there isn’t much momentum exiting spring practice, but perhaps that’s a blessing in disguise for the Gamecocks.

Maybe getting back to the hungry ‘why not us’ mentality is just what this program needs.

STRENGTHS

  • Running game is in good hands: At some point, Brandon Wilds or David Williams will create separation from the other and earn the bulk of South Carolina’s carries this season, but both were on even footing for the duration of spring. They provide the Gamecocks with an ideal 1-2 rushing punch without Mike Davis. Good enough to play last season, there simply wasn’t enough carries to go around for Williams, who has waited his turn in the backfield. The battle between Wilds and Williams created an interesting dynamic in March as both players equally impressed Everette Sands, the Gamecocks’ running backs coach. Third-teamer Shon Carson is an option along with Darius Paulk, a walk-on who saw quite a bit of action in the spring game. Incoming freshman Mon Denson will likely redshirt.
  • The pass rush will be better: We won’t know for sure until the lights come on at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte against North Carolina, but the Gamecocks’ defensive line doesn’t appear to be stuck in neutral any longer. JUCO edge rusher Marquavius Lewis created waves this spring as the team’s defensive MVP, bringing next-level tenacity to the point of attack, an element Lorenzo Ward tried desperately to achieve last season but didn’t have the talent. There’s a good chance Gerald Dixon, after a mediocre spring, loses his job to incoming JUCO transfer Dante Sawyer this fall. Sawyer is the more athletic player and should be an ideal fit in Jon Hoke’s new pressure-rich mindset. One college football’s worst from a pressure standpoint last fall, South Carolina’s anticipating an influx of talent to relegate others, projected returning starters perhaps, to the bench. Darius English and David Johnson won’t be fond of the idea, but Ward could maximize the Gamecocks’ efforts up front by playing a bunch, if not all, of this unit’s talented newcomers. It’s ‘out with the old and in with the new’ along the defensive line this season.
  • Linebacker is the strongest personnel group on defense: Jonathan Walton gave fans a taste of what promises to be a ferocious group in the middle of the defense this season during January’s Independence Bowl when he played with Hulk-like aggression against Miami. Many thought he out-shined former-All linebacker Skai Moore despite the talented sophomore winning the game’s defensive MVP honor. Those two coupled with budding superstar Bryson Allen-Williams give the Gamecocks serious power at the position this season. Allen-Williams is thankful he’s moving back to his more natural position after being forced to play defensive end much of his freshman season to strengthen a faulty pass rush.

WEAKNESSES

  • There’s questions up front, under center and on the outside: It’s not time to panic, but outside of returning All-American wideout Pharoh Cooper and tackle Brandon Shell on the offensive line, South Carolina’s offense is loaded with inexperience. We don’t know how the Gamecocks will fare in the trenches based on what we saw during spring practice, a mash unit without several key contributors who were sidelined by injury. Sophomore D.J. Park showed promise at times and provides depth to a left side that lost multi-year starters A.J. Cann and Corey Robinson. Park played at left tackle mostly this offseason and will be in a battle presumably with Mike Matulis and Mason Zandi for that spot. Spurrier still hasn’t decided on a quarterback and says he’ll give incoming true freshman Lorenzo Nunez every opportunity to compete. Though consistent during the spring, third-year sophomore Connor Mitch didn’t show enough to garner the HBC’s blessing as a first-teamer. The recent news about Notre Dame quarterback Everett Golson’s imminent transfer is intriguing, but we’re just going to leave it at rumor until something transpires. Stellar play at wide receiver would lessen the new quarterback challenges, but South Carolina’s thin on experience. Tight end Kevin Crosby and Deebo Samuel should play a ton of snaps this fall alongside Cooper and Jerell Adams in the passing game after a productive spring. Terry Googer and Shamier Jeffery are in competition at the ‘B’ position, each posing a different skill set.
  • Secondary’s a work in progress: Isaiah Johnson’s offseason transfer from Kansas provides a tremendous boost at the back end along with Rico Williams’ promising development on the outside this spring, but the other safety and cornerback spots are a bit murky at the moment. Chris Lammons was more effective in coverage than fellow sophomore Al Harris Jr. this offseason, but that position battle will continue through August. Though inconsistent, first-year co-defensive coordinator Jon Hoke was pleased with his unit’s overall effort level at safety in learning a new scheme. Chris Moody has the inside track to start, but D.J. Smith and Jordan Diggs aren’t far behind. While Johnson hasn’t yet been inserted into the Gamecocks’ 11 on defense, his track record as a knowledgeable two-year starter in the Big XII puts him above the rest from an experience standpoint at the back end. Jasper Sasser had a solid spring at the nickelback spot, but if the season started tomorrow, veteran T.J. Gurley would be the likely starter.