Before he was ever officially announced as the new head coach at the University of South Carolina, Will Muschamp had already spent plenty of time putting a staff together.

There are plenty of intriguing names on the list. Former South Carolina high school coaching standout — and recent Auburn adviser — Bobby Bentley is expected to fill a role on offense. It’s an interesting appointment, made more so by the fact that his son, Jake, will be one of the top quarterback prospects in the Class of 2017.

Muschamp has chosen Travaris Robinson as his defensive coordinator. Robinson coached under him at Auburn and is by all accounts a top-notch recruiter.

Kurt Roper will be the new offensive coordinator for the Gamecocks. Roper, who has been working as an offensive assistant with the Cleveland Browns, ran the offense at Florida in 2014 — Muschamp’s final season there.

The Gators went 7-5 that season, scored a little more than 30 points per game and finished 12th in the SEC in total offense with around 368 yards per game.

Though it might be unfair to blame Roper, the Browns are 2-10 this season and 27th (out of 32) in the NFL in total offense. In Cleveland, Roper holds more of a consulting role, particularly handling clock management, according to Browns’ coach Mike Pettine.

“The guy I rely on the most is Kurt Roper,” he said. “He’s our senior offensive consultant. He’s not coaching a position so I think that helps him that he has more of the 30,000-foot view of everything. That’s helpful that he can kind of stay distanced from watching any one position and be more in tune with me as far as game reminders.”

Roper’s greatest coaching success came under David Cutcliffe. Roper ran the offense for him at Duke (2008-2013) and at Ole Miss (1999-2004), coaching current NFL quarterbacks Eli Manning, Thad Lewis and Sean Renfree.

So, why is he coming to Columbia?

Roper’s supporters would say he didn’t have enough time to turn around the Florida offense, and point to his success running offenses in the ACC and SEC.

His detractors will point out that he’s been fired twice (Ole Miss and Florida) and could only land a minor job watching the clock for one of the most poorly run franchises in pro sports.

Here’s another theory:

Muschamp knows him well, having already vetted him for the Florida job before the 2014 season. That means he can put him in place quickly to help close out this year’s recruiting cycle.

Roper also favors a spread, read-option style offense that favors mobile quarterbacks and speedy receivers.

Current South Carolina quarterbacks Lorenzo Nunez and, to a lesser degree, Connor Mitch seem ideally suited to run Roper’s scheme. The most highly touted recruit in the Class of 2016 for the Gamecocks, dual-threat quarterback Brandon McIlwain, would be a nice fit for it as well.

Finally, he’s available right now and ready to hit the ground running. Sometimes, timing really is everything.

South Carolina has taken a gamble on Muschamp, and Muschamp has taken one on Roper. Gamecock fans will now have to wait and see if the gambles pay off.