South Carolina held its first open practice of the spring session on Tuesday afternoon, working out in full pads at the new Gamecock Park practice fields.
“From practice one through eight, we’ve improved tremendously,” said coach Will Muschamp. “We still have miles to travel, but we did some good things (in the scrimmage on Saturday) and I’m pleased with that.
“We’ve tried to install as much (of the offense) as we can,” he continued. “That’s part of the evaluation – being able to see what they can handle. If they are struggling with the installation, they’re probably going to struggle in weeks six, seven and eight. Those are things were evaluating as we go through camp. I’m pretty pleased with what we’ve been able to accomplish,” continued the Gamecocks’ first-year head coach.”
Here are a handful of notes from practice No. 9 for the Gamecocks:
- Defensive back Darin Smalls is no longer with the team.
- Defensive back D.J. Smith tore a ligament in his thumb the first day of spring drills. He will have surgery on Thursday.
- Offensive lineman Alan Knott has a sprained wrist, but there is no structural damage.
- Quarterback Perry Orth broke his left (non-throwing) collarbone during last Saturday’s scrimmage.
- Quarterback Lorenzo Nuñez could be back next week. He remains in a knee brace.
- Buck Darius English has a groin injury, but is expected back later this week.
- Jamari Smith is taking some reps at receiver.
- The spring game is set for April 9 and is free to the public. Prior to the game, over 90 lettermen have signed up to take part in a flag football game.
Tyler Waddell is a member of the Saturday Down South news team. He brings over five years of professional journalism experience and is closing in on a Bachelor's in sports management. Follow him on Twitter (@Tyler_Waddell).
