Lorenzo Ward advocates, stand up.

The four of you, please be seated — I’ll sit down as well.

Despite intense backlash during last season’s embarrassing effort on defense, South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier endured the intense rays of the offseason heat lamp and made the right move by retaining his veteran assistant, one with a solid recruiting rep and track record of previous success when personnel hasn’t been an issue.

How soon we forget Ward, with Ellis Johnson’s help, was partially responsible for landing Jadeveon Clowney in 2011 and helped the Gamecocks finish among the nation’s best on defense back-to-back years after the star pass rusher’s arrival. Without him, South Carolina’s defense lost its edge — its double-teamed weapon — at the point of attack and the effects trickled all the way to the back end.

Amid an October tailspin before the Tennessee debacle, I wrote that Spurrier needed to give Ward a second chance, a mulligan if you will, for his team’s lack of sizzle defensively. While scheme was an issue at times, the lack of a pulse along the defensive front had more to due with talent, player development and depth concerns than anything else.

South Carolina clearly wasn’t prepared for life after the departure of its veteran core (Clowney, Kelcy Quarles and Chaz Sutton) and that created a season-long headache Ward couldn’t fix. The Gamecocks were in dire need of athleticism off the edge and without it, the defense suffered as a whole.

Ward, as the defensive coordinator, justly received much of the blame.

Dropping his title to co-defensive coordinator alongside new hire Jon Hoke may seem like a downgrade, but it actually benefits Ward in the fact that it alleviates pressure and allows him to step out of the spotlight a bit and away from the noise. The Gamecocks suffered from problem areas at all levels of their defense last fall and once Ward tried to stop the bleeding at one position group, another hemorrhaged.

This is where another set of eyes with a strong defensive mind comes in, not to mention the calls. Hoke, who was officially introduced Monday, will shoulder the playcall burden next season:

Judging by Hoke’s track record during his time on Spurrier’s staff at Florida and the last 12 years in the NFL, defending the pass is his best quality. According to various reports, Hoke will manage South Carolina’s passing game defense and the secondary while Ward focuses on the Gamecocks’ plan against the run and up front.

The Gamecocks ranked 13th in total defense in the SEC last season at 432.7 yards per game, giving up a league-high 6.2 yards per play. It’s clear that Ward, along with several other assistants, is coaching for his job this fall, hoping to shore up a unit which yielded a league-worst 29 rushing touchdowns and 5.4 yards per carry during the 2014 campaign.

Teams stayed on the field since turnovers and third-down stops were few. Tired defenses led to missed tackles, crippling an inexperienced group. Hoke, an advocate of the zone blitz and pressure-heavy schemes, needs to make sure the Gamecocks can handle fundamental tasks defensively before instituting looks that could lead to big plays if players aren’t in proper position.

One can expect, after last season’s shoddy angles and plethora of arm tackles, South Carolina will focus on becoming a more physical football team this spring.

Ward’s been given a second chance to correct South Carolina’s issues and while it may not take a complete overhaul, this is Whammy’s mess and Spurrier provided Hoke to help.