Will Muschamp was not alone in Atlanta on Thursday as the Gamecock coach asked Jake Bentley, Deebo Samuel and D.J. Wonnum to attend the 2018 edition of SEC Media Days.

Here are some highlights of the quotes provided by the players on the South Carolina roster:

Junior defensive lineman D.J. Wonnum

On being selected to attend SEC Media Days…

“I was shocked at first, but it has been great talking and getting our focus on. It has been fun so far.”

On hearing that other teams are picking them as a guaranteed win…

“It doesn’t bother me at all. It actually motivates us, just going hard in training camp. So, it will be fun.”

On the changes offensively and the challenges they bring…

“Most of the challenges I have noticed are the tempo. They go a lot faster than previous years, so that is probably one of the most challenges that I have faced so far. ”

On his brother coming to South Carolina…

“It is very exciting having him with me, having my little brother under my wing. But, not too big brother. You have to let him get pushed around a little bit, but it is good to have him.”

On pointers he has provided his brother…

“He is coming along, waking up early. The main thing is just to work hard and listen. The coaches’ critiques will help you.”

On his focus during the offseason…

“Our biggest improvement was working in the weight room and focusing more on my technique. But, our defensive line is fast and physical. That is us. We are fundamental in our standards, so we are going to do some great things this year.”

Senior receiver Deebo Samuel

On the emotions of having to sit out a year…

“In previous years, before I broke my ankle, I had hamstring issues which made me sit out a couple games but not for the rest of the season. When you break your ankle, you can get down on yourself. You can say to yourself, ‘Maybe football is not for me.’ I didn’t look at it that way. I had motivation from Coach Muschamp, Coach McClendon and my parents to motivate me to be able to push myself to get back to where I was before I got hurt.”

On junior quarterback Jake Bentley…

“You get the same thing off the field that you get on the field. You get a leader, a hard worker and a guy who loves the game. Jake Bentley is a really good guy and also a good quarterback who can really control the offense.”

On helping young receivers while he was injured…

“One thing I talked to them about was to be mature and take advantage of every opportunity they get.”

On the hardest part of coming back from his injury…

“One of the hardest parts is getting through rehab. When you get hurt and first start, you feel stiff, but as you push through it, you get better and better.”

On motivation during rehab…

“The thing that was motivating me was the love that I have for the game. I wasn’t going to give up on my dream. The thing that made me start taking it slow was that I was going to be able to graduate in December. My parents and Coach Muschamp played a big role in that.”

On Bentley’s motivation during his rehab…
“Day in and day out, Jake came in saying, ‘Hey Deebo, how are you doing?’ He’d go talk to the trainers to make sure I’m was doing the right thing to get back on the field.”

Junior quarterback Jake Bentley

On adjusting his tempo to meet his offense…

“I think it’s one of the best things that has happened to me as far as my college career. I think it allowed me to slow down my mind and the fact that I’m open for anything. It’s been different for us, there have been some bumps in the road when we’re going over it, but I think it’s going to be real good for us. ”

On the changes under Offensive Coordinator Bryan McClendon…

“He’s just very aggressive. He has a very aggressive mindset. I love him, the guys love him. He wants to score as many points as he can every single game, and the guys have really fallen into that. They understand that any play can be a touchdown. I think the biggest change that I’ve seen is when a guy just has, maybe a vertical that he thinks is just trying to throw out the defense, but it really could be a play that could score.”

On the loss and comeback of Deebo Samuel…

“Not only did the offense take a hit, confidence wise, but it hit the whole team. When you’ve got a guy like that who you know can make a game change with one play not be out there, I think it took a toll on us a little bit. But when he got back out there, you can just see the guys’ confidence in him and what he is able to do. Not only is he a great player, he is a great teammate as well. He’s a very good teammate, a very selfless guy.”

On helping Samuel through his injuries…

“It’s important because our relationship is not going to end just because I stop throwing passes to him. I think that’s what Coach Muschamp preaches all the time. This game is about building lifelong relationships, and I truly believe that me and Deebo will be friends forever. I know that may sound kind of ‘aww’ but you really do. The relationships that you build, they just stay with you. Checking in on him every day, I’ve been through those injuries myself, so I know what he’s going through. I just try to keep him positive, and I just love his attitude through the whole thing. And he’s going to help our team.”