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In a perfect world, college football teams enter spring practice with at least one experienced quarterback. Even if that guy was a reserve who only mopped up in blowouts.
In that perfect world, the coaching staff returns pretty much intact, the playbooks stay the same and teams can spend spring practice fine tuning, rather than rebuilding.
The world is not perfect for South Carolina. Far from it.
There’s a new coach in Will Muschamp, a new coordinator calling the plays in Kurt Roper and a handful of quarterbacks competing to take the first snap when the Gamecocks visit Nashville on the first Thursday night in September.
There are guys who can run (Lorenzo Nunez and Brandon McIlwain), guys who can throw (Connor Mitch and Michael Scarnecchia) and the guy who did enough to start eight games for the Gamecocks last fall (Perry Orth).
But before making an educated guess about which guy will emerge from this scrum, another question must be asked.
WHAT’S THE SYSTEM?
Roper’s background suggests that he’d like a quarterback with at least some ability to run the football with the read-option. But how exactly the South Carolina offense will look later this fall is anyone’s guess.
“I don’t think we have a full picture yet of actually what they’re going to do,” David Caraviello, who covers the Gamecocks for The Charleston Post and Courier, told Saturday Down South. “I know what Kurt has done in other places. I know Kurt wants to snap the ball quickly and run kind of a variation of an up-tempo attack. But I know Will wants a balanced offense. Will wants to be able to run the ball. And Will’s going to have a say on it.”
Chris Clark, who covers football and recruiting for GamecockCentral.com, agrees.
“The feeling you get is that South Carolina wants a guy who can run some,” Clark told SDS. “But they’re also going to need a guy who can operate the offense and make all the different types of throws that Roper’s going to require. … You look at what they might want an ideal quarterback to be, but I don’t think they’re in an ideal situation at all.”
HANDICAPPING THE RACE
Assuming that Roper’s past affinity for mobile quarterbacks carries over, Nunez and McIlwain would seem to begin the spring as the frontrunners.
“If I had to pick a 1-A and a 1-B as your most likely starters against Vanderbilt, it would be McIlwain and Nunez — for that reason,” Caraviello said. “They bring the most variation to the table. If you look at what Roper has done in his previous spots, and you look at what Muschamp has traditionally liked with that balance of being able to run the ball as well as throw it — both of those guys can give you a little of that.”
McIlwain is a true freshman, but he has an equal shot at winning the job because of the complete overhaul of the program he’s entering.
“I think it’s very possible, given that everyone is going to be starting from ground zero with this offensive system,” Caraviello said. “He enrolled early. He’ll be here for spring practice, so when they begin installation and they start working on the first live reps … he’s going to be on equal footing with everybody else.
“I know (Steve) Spurrier is the guy who recruited him here primarily, but it’s maybe more likely that you see him as the starter against Vanderbilt now, simply because everybody’s going to be learning this at the same rate.”
THE CASE FOR MCILWAIN
He may have been a Spurrier recruit, but one of Muschamp’s first stops after taking the South Carolina job was McIlwain’s living room in Newtown, Penn.
He quickly shored up McIlwain’s pledge to the Gamecocks, and the four-star recruit decided to enroll early. He’s playing baseball, too, but will be a full participant in spring practice.
VIDEO: Brandon McIlwain debuts for South Carolina baseball https://t.co/K1DDSnjhWn pic.twitter.com/qp2TPUzaCS
— GoGamecocks (@gogamecocks) January 29, 2016
By all accounts, the 6-foot, 198-pound true freshman will have every chance to win the job.
“In terms of physical ability, Brandon really fits the mold of what you see being successful at the college level nowadays,” Clark said. “He’s a guy that can throw the ball, but also has that escapability and ability to give you some designed runs. He’s a dual-threat guy.
“He has a strong arm. As we know, he’s a baseball player. … He’s not a finished product by any means throwing the ball. He’s still raw. He’ll have to work on accuracy and ball placement. And he’s not an extremely tall guy, either. So, he’ll have to find those windows. But he’s fast, he’s athletic, he can run around — he just has a lot of those characteristics that you look for physically in a quarterback.”
His athletic gifts, as abundant as they are, are not the only reason he’s already turning heads inside the program, though.
“I think the thing that excited people the most is what he brings in intangibles,” Clark said. “He’s a kid that’s an extremely hard worker, and he’s really impressed with that in the short time he’s been on campus during winter workouts.
“He was one of the top performers in most categories. He’s got leadership ability. He’s a great kid from a great family. He’s not going to cause you any trouble, and he’s someone that you can put some trust in.”
@Mc11wain Thanks for making our day!!! @gogamecocks #southcarolinagamecocks #gamecockbaseball pic.twitter.com/77BY173igi
— Kirsten Marie (@kirsten_m_tyler) February 27, 2016
THE CASE FOR NUNEZ
Nunez, 6-3, 210, was last season’s four-star quarterback recruit, bringing a remarkable amount of speed with him from his high school days in Georgia.
He made his first career start in Week 4, a 31-14 victory over Central Florida, and lost his next one at Missouri, 24-10, the following week.
He threw three interceptions and sprained his shoulder in that game, and didn’t make another start. He did play a bit, though, as a changeup to Orth.
Nunez finished the season completing 61.5 percent of his passes while throwing for 376 yards, three touchdowns and three interceptions. Even in limited duty, he finished second on the team with 375 rushing yards and two more scores.
“I think Nunez is probably faster (than McIlwain) in terms of straight line (speed),” Clark said.
“People always talk about how Nunez could play wide receiver at the college level, which I agree with when you look at his size, his measurables and how fast he is. We saw on the field last year in some of the runs he made — his elusiveness, his speed in the open field. He has some special abilities in that category.
“He definitely can run it. The question with him is can he be more accurate on the long balls. Putting touch on the ball, being accurate in tight windows on short and intermediate routes. Those are the things he’s going to have to do to make an impact in the race.”
THE CASE FOR ORTH
If someone made a movie about the 2015 South Carolina football team — a happy one — it would probably be about Orth.
A former walk-on out of Florida, he used to work part-time jobs at a local grocery store and a Foot Looker to help pay the bills early in his college career.
He was fifth on the depth chart when the 2014 season got started, and third on last year’s version when the team broke camp.
But while the other quarterbacks suffered injuries last fall, Orth was the lone source of stability.
His numbers weren’t spectacular (1,929 yards, 12 TD, 9 INT), but he won the respect and admiration of his teammates in a trying time for the program.
“I don’t rule anybody out of the race,” Clark said. “Perry has, in some ways, a leg up on some of the guys because he has experience. He got plenty of it down the stretch last year — and against good competition — and while South Carolina didn’t have success last season, he had some moments.
“He’s not going to bring a lot to the table running the ball. But you know what he is. He’s a guy that’s really liked on the team. He’s a hard worker. He knows how to operate the offense, and he can make some throws for you.”
While the new coaching staff may have heard about Orth’s work ethic and determination, he’ll have to prove it all over again.
“Perry’s got to get over that hump to become the starter for a team with a new head coach on a permanent basis,” Caraviello said. “You have to remember, Spurrier, Shawn Elliott, G.A. Mangus and all those guys watched every step of Perry’s progression. From a guy who came here as a walk-on, turned down small offers, stocked shelves at the Publix and just did everything he had to do to get on the field in the SEC. And I’m sure watching that progression built a degree of fondness for Perry among the former coaching staff.
“Not to say Muschamp does not appreciate that, but Muschamp didn’t see it. So, right now, Perry’s another scholarship quarterback on the roster. … Higher rated guys are making that position a lot more crowded than it was a year ago, when he sort of stepped into the vacuum to take this team over.”
THE CASE FOR MITCH
There was a quarterback derby in Columbia last season, too. And the guy that won it is back in the race this year.
Mitch, a three-star recruit out of North Carolina, impressed Spurrier enough to start the opener last season. He struggled a bit in the win over his homestate Tar Heels, and then was injured in the second game against Kentucky. He never saw the field again in 2015.
He threw only 29 passes last season, so he’s a bit of an unknown in this year’s race.
“We haven’t seen him take a snap in public since the Kentucky game last year,” Caraviello said. “He had the hip injury that became what sounded like a terrible infection that landed him in the hospital a couple of times. He had a separated shoulder, and from what we heard from coaches, lost a lot of weight, lost a lot of strength and couldn’t get back on the field because he was so far behind from a physical standpoint.
“Connor’s the X-factor in all of this, in terms of a guy that had all the tools coming out of high school. … We’ve seen him for less than two full games. I just don’t know how much that double-barrel injury situation last year set him back. It’s going to take seeing him on the field and seeing how far he’s come since then to really get an idea of where he is in this competition.”
Clark believes that, despite the fact that known as a pocket passer, Mitch has enough athletic ability to be a factor in this competition.
“Roper was at Duke when Mitch was coming out of high school (in Raleigh), so he’ll have some familiarity with him,” Clark said. “At least with his skill set from high school and what he’s about. Mitch is interesting because I think he showed a little bit of savvy running the zone read last year.
“Now, is he McIlwain or Nunez? No. But I think he made some good reads in the zone read game and is athletic enough to get you some yards and keep a defense honest.”
THE CASE FOR SCARNECCHIA
He’s completed his only pass in college, and he’s a long shot to start, but Michael Scarnecchia will get his chance to impress his new coaches this spring.
“He was a guy that (Spurrier) really liked,” Caraviello said. “I don’t know what the new coaching staff’s impressions of him are. I don’t want to be unfair to Michael and say that he’s not a factor here. He had some moments last spring and last preseason camp where he looked pretty comfortable in what he was doing. … I don’t know where he fits in here, but you can’t imagine that he’s one of the leading contenders at the moment.”
His biggest obstacle, according to Clark, is the crowded field of contenders.
“His issue is that he’s got some guys who are athletically more gifted in the running game in front of him,” Clark said. “And then he’s got a couple of other guys in Orth and Mitch who have some more experience being in a college program and actually seeing the field.”
CRYSTAL BALL SAYS … PLATOON
Not in the sense where quarterbacks rotate series (or even plays, as Spurrier was known to do), but more of a situational thing.
On Roper’s 2013 Duke team, Anthony Boone was the starter. But Brandon Connette was the short-yardage and goal-line quarterback, and he was second in the ACC with 14 rushing touchdowns.
Connette was a big guy who played that season at about 225 pounds. There really isn’t anyone exactly like that on the Gamecocks’ roster, though Nunez has bulked up from last season.
But with a group of contenders with such distinct strengths and weaknesses, it seems unlikely that one will take the job and run with it alone for an entire season.
McIlwain likely will get a chance to start at some point, but Mitch, Nunez and/or Orth could see some spot duty. Nunez gives Roper options. Nuzez could line up as a quarterback, slot receiver or even as a running back on occasion.
The rotation will start to take shape after the spring, but for now, being creative with the options available seems like the best plan.
It may not be a perfect situation for any of the contenders or the coaches, but it certainly won’t be dull.
Randy Capps is a contributing writer for Saturday Down South. He covers SEC football, South Carolina and Georgia.