Considering the roster head coach Will Muschamp inherited upon landing the job in Columbia, the Gamecocks have quickly developed a number of promising offensive players. However, if Jake Bentley and the South Carolina offense are going to take another step forward next season, they’ll need some help from the incoming recruiting class.

One player Bentley recently acknowledged as a big addition to the team was early enrollee OrTre Smith. Rated as South Carolina’s No. 1 overall prospect in the 2017 recruiting cycle, per 247Sports, Smith should push for immediate playing time alongside returning receivers Deebo Samuel, Bryan Edwards and hybrid pass catcher Hayden Hurst.

During his Monday press availability, Bentley had some high praise for Smith. Although Smith isn’t fully healthy this spring, the quarterback expressed his belief that the true freshman will be contributing for the Gamecocks this season.

“He’s got a lot of talent,” Bentley said “He’s still trying to get 100 percent healthy, he’s almost there. You can tell just the talent that he has. He’s really going to be able to help us.”

Bentley also noted the improvements he has already seen in the offense since returning for spring practice.

“Getting back out there with the guys, getting to see all the offseason work pay off in practice, as far as better timing and better execution of all the plays has been great to see,” Bentley said. “It’s just great to get back on the field… We really didn’t have to go over (the offense) all that much, just with all the throwing we’ve been doing in the offseason.

Once Bentley entered the lineup following the mid-season bye week, South Carolina’s passing offense improved drastically. The Gamecocks finished the season ranked No. 7 in the league in passing, however, the team did have only 12 passing touchdowns last season – which tied for second worst.

With the return of some key receivers and the early addition of Smith, Bentley and his teammates are highly encouraged by the early results.

“I feel great about it,” Bentley said. “I wasn’t here last spring but I did come to a lot of practices and just talking to the guys that were here, they’ve said this spring has gone a lot better than last spring. That comes with just having another year in the system but just being to get in and out of plays, the execution has run a lot smoother, and you can see us getting better.”

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