Will Muschamp comments on his first early signing day signees at South Carolina
By Keith Farner
Published:
South Carolina coach Will Muschamp used the word many college football coaches were doing this week: multi-tasking.
Between bowl preparations for Michigan in the Outback Bowl, and the first early signing day class, Muschamp said the program got better with 20 signees. The program expects to sign five more players by February. But Muschamp also used a common refrain that the true assessment of this class won’t come for two or three years.
“As far as the critical factors are concerned, at every position, we hit more and more of what we want our football team to be and look like,” Muschamp said in a press conference with reporters.
Muschamp trumpeted the last two signing classes, which have accounted for 18 starters, and nine “major contributors.” They also included two permanent team captains, Jake Bentley and Dennis Wonnum. This class will include 13 mid-year enrollees, which is a program high.
“You talk in terms of leadership and character and the type of people you want in your organization,” he said, “because their were certainly some other guys that were up for that award as well, but they were voted by their teammates.”
Muschamp said the mid-year enrollees would better be able to transition socially, academically and learning how the program works, in terms of learning the offense and defense and working in the offseason weight lifting program. Dakereon Joyner is one of those early enrollees who gives the Gamecocks four quarterbacks on the roster, which offers depth. And Muschamp said Joyner would be given a chance to contribute like any other position.
Like most coaches, Muschamp said the adjustment in the early signing period came in figuring out which players would sign early, and how sure they were about that decision.
“It puts a lot on the assistant coaches to get the information right and I’m very involved in all of the recruits so I’m involved in that process as well to make sure,” he said. “I only get one visit off campus with a prospective student-athlete so I hit more guys in December than I ever had because we didn’t want to waste, not that I’m going to get in there and get the kid to sign, but it’s certainly the attention that the young man deserves, it’s important and I think our staff did an excellent job identifying those things early in the process and knowing where we needed to spend our time. We spent a lot of time talking about the early signing period as a staff and I think we managed it pretty well. We had more visits in the season than we normally do. We had a big weekend in December during the banquet, which is what we normally do. I don’t know if it was much more different than in just having more visits during the season so it is what it is. I’m kind of down the middle on it. At the end of the day, whatever they want to do is fine with me. I don’t waste time in giving them my opinion.”
One surprise was defensive back Jonathan Gipson, who was viewed as a surprise signee as he at one point was expected to sign by February after he took several other visits to other schools, though he’s committed to South Carolina. Muschamp said Gipson’s high school coach may have discussed the timing, and possibility of losing a scholarship if you wait too long.
“Again, when you deal with young people, sometimes they hear something, and they think that’s a really good idea. At the end of the day, Jonathan has been committed here. He’s a really good football player. He’s a wonderful young man. Who wouldn’t want to take 14 other trips and go to some different places and see some different things when it’s paid for?,” Muschamp said. “It’s a neat experience. But you also run the risk of losing a scholarship somewhere if you continue to wait on those situations. Obviously, Coach (Shannon) Jarvis has been a part of this for a long time and understands the recruiting process. I think they had a little meeting today and then they called us. We got off the practice field and said ‘is there any way you could email all of this over to us, we’d like to sign today.'”
A former newspaper veteran, Keith Farner is a news manager for Saturday Down South.
