Will Muschamp is about two weeks shy of the six-month mark at South Carolina, and he’s already made quite a splash in Columbia.

He and his staff salvaged what was shaping up to be a dire recruiting class with a late surge that brought in enough talented young players to plug holes all over the roster.

He’s also striking a positive tone on the speaking circuit, telling a group last week that “we have enough players here to win the (SEC) East.”

While Muschamp has passed the offseason tests with flying colors, eventually there will be games to play. Let’s have a look at how his team is shaping up after spring workouts:

STRENGTHS

  • Linebackers: Skai Moore, the leader in tackles and interceptions in 2015, missed the spring with a neck strain, but he’ll be back in the mix when the Gamecocks take on Vanderbilt in the opener. Bryson Allen-Williams, who drew praise from Muschamp in the spring, figures to line up at the “Buck” position, which is a defensive end/linebacker hybrid. Jonathan Walton and T.J. Holloman also bring talent and experience to the position.
  • Special teams: Elliott Fry made all 25 of his extra points last fall, and converted on 20 of his 28 field goal attempts. Punter Sean Kelly was fourth in the SEC with a 44.3-yard average, and Rashad Fenton was also fourth in the league in kickoff return average (26.1) with one return for a touchdown. The Gamecocks will be hoping for more opportunities for Fry, and a little less work for Kelly and Fenton.
  • Lack of expectations: At Tennessee, Florida and Georgia, fans expect to compete for the East title — and beyond. At Kentucky and Vanderbilt, the coaching seat is a bit warm as fans clamor for a bowl bid. At South Carolina (and Missouri), coming off a sub-.500 season with a new coaching staff, there really isn’t much expectation. There’s a healthy amount of optimism around the South Carolina program, and just flirting with a bowl bid will be considered a successful debut season for Muschamp and company.

WEAKNESSES

  • Inexperience: The post-spring depth chart contains eight true or redshirt freshmen, and it will be a surprise if that number doesn’t climb well into double digits when the rest of the newcomers arrive this summer. The recruiting class provided help at a lot of different positions, but with young players, growing pains have to be expected.
  • Secondary: Muschamp has been a fountain of positivity in the media for the most part, but has pulled no punches when talking about his secondary. “Ain’t nothing we tell you guys (in the media) we don’t tell them,” he told the Charleston Post and Courier. “They’ve heard that every single day. That’s one thing we tell our kids, ‘Just know who you are. Right now, this is the standard that we have for you guys, and you ain’t meeting it.'” Jamarcus King, one of the nation’s best JUCO corners, will get his chance to shore up this unit in the summer.
  • Youth at the skill positions: When the Gamecocks line up against Vanderbilt on Sept. 1, it’s possible that the quarterback (Brandon McIlwain) and at least one of the wide receivers (Bryan Edwards) will be true freshmen. A couple more true and redshirt freshmen will be in the receiving rotation, and there will two or three more first-year players behind David Williams at the running back position. There’s bound to be some highs and lows with this many young players handling the football.