With spring practice right around the corner, just in time for Shane Beamer to clear himself of all the remaining mayonnaise, South Carolina has as much momentum as any team outside of the College Football Playoff.

The offense will get the bulk of the spotlight this offseason, and at SEC Media Days, but the defense exceeded expectations last season, and returns at least 1 veteran player at each level. So there’s no reason to believe Clayton White’s unit will drop off this season.

Here are 5 candidates to be the face of the Gamecocks in 2022:

Spencer Rattler

Rattler may be the easiest “face of the program” candidate in the history of the idea. The Gamecocks haven’t had this kind of hype around a quarterback since at least Connor Shaw, and Shaw, at least at this point in his career, was not a Heisman Trophy favorite, as Rattler was in August.

Simply put, if Rattler is among the top third of SEC QBs in the first quarter of the season, he’ll be in the Heisman conversation again. What will be interesting to watch is how Marcus Satterfield tailors the offense around Rattler a year after he was somewhat hampered by Luke Doty’s foot injury to start the season.

Jaheim Bell

The star of the bowl game, Bell showed his potential and capability of being a big-play threat as the kind of player Beamer talked about when he promoted the tight end position. By multiple metrics, Bell is the second-best returning tight end behind Georgia star Brock Bowers.

Bell turned in 30 catches for 497 yards and 5 touchdowns last season, as he produced more per catch than leading receiver Josh Vann. Because of his frame, 6-3 and 230 pounds, Bell can still be versatile enough to stretch the field, and allow a guy like Oklahoma transfer Austin Stogner on the field at the same time.

MarShawn Lloyd

Lloyd has a golden opportunity to be the feature back, and at the very least be a classic thunder and lightning combination with Juju McDowell. Lloyd also has enough confidence with the media, and personality, to be a fan favorite in front of the camera, and on the field.

In 2021, he got caught in a backfield logjam, and better-than-expected seasons from ZaQuandre White and McDowell. While the Gamecocks lost a boatload of yards and experience, they re-stocked with the likes of redshirt freshman Rashad Amos, who didn’t record a carry last year, Wake Forest transfer Christian Beal-Smith, Georgia transfer Lovasea Carroll, and Columbia transfer Dante Miller. Lloyd will get every opportunity to be the lead back in a backfield-by-committee to start.

Zacch Pickens

Pickens has slowly grown into the kind of player he was expected to be coming out of high school, and given the losses on the defensive line, Pickens’ return is huge. The former 5-star defensive tackle announced plans to return to South Carolina after he made 38 tackles, including 5 tackles for a loss and 4 sacks during the 2021 season. The Gamecocks return veteran experience at every level of the defense, and Pickens is the tip of the spear for the foundation of White’s unit.

Cam Smith

There’s a long line of Gamecock defensive backs who have been a face of the program because they backed up their trash talk with lockdown coverage. By its alumni in the NFL, the Gamecocks have a bit of an argument to a “DBU,” and Smith is capable of stepping into those shoes.

Smith was overshadowed at times by Jaylan Foster, but he’s been the program’s most reliable defensive back for more than a year. He broke up 11 passes last season, forced a fumble, and had interceptions against Florida, Missouri and Clemson, not exactly the easiest opponents on the schedule.