 "Photo: Erik Campos/The Associated Press")
Their leading rusher from last season has been kicked off the team. Their second leading rusher has been suspended for the season. Their third leading rusher is now a receiver.
For the Gamecocks and new coach Steve Spurrier, the backfield situation looks to be a bit muddled as the team begins preseason camp.
Cory Boyd, whose 309 yards rushing last season was second on the team, was suspended July 29 for a violation of athletics department policy.
Last season's leading rusher, Demetris Summers, was kicked off the team in the spring for a second violation of the athletics department's drug policy. Junior Syvelle Newton, the speedy quarterback from last season, will now be catching passes instead of throwing them.
All this leaves Spurrier to decide who he wants to take handoffs. Senior Daccus Turman is a likely candidate, while his 185 yards rushing last season was only sixth on the team, the 5-foot-11-inch, 229-pounder has been thrust to the forefront.
If Turman doesn't produce, Spurrier might be forced to try highly touted freshman Mike Davis, a Columbia native.
Fellow freshmen Bobby Wallace and Albert Ashcraft might also get their shot, although at 6-foot-3-inches and 200 pounds, Ashcraft might fit in as a fullback.
"If we're playing some freshman running backs that's OK, we're building," Spurrier told reporters at SEC media days in Alabama last week. "We're going to be there awhile. This is not a one-year stint."
With all the talk of a troubled backfield, the quarterback situation remains dicey as well, leaving offensive linemen and fellow seniors Jabari Levey and Na'Shan Goddard as the Gamecocks' only offensive sureties.
Redshirt sophomore Blake Mitchell seems to have the edge for the starting position going into camp, but Spurrier has maintained that any and all of the signal callers on the Gamecock roster could get their shot.
"All of these quarterbacks may get a lot of reps early (in camp)," Spurrier said. "Then, after about a couple of weeks, we'll start getting two guys ready and go from there."
Those two guys might be Mitchell and redshirt freshman Antonio Heffner, as Mike Rathe, the only other quarterback with throwing experience from last season, lost his bid for a sixth year of eligibility.
Neither of the two appeared to outshine the other in the spring, and it would come as little surprise to see Spurrier switch them out during the season, as he often did with the NFL's Washington Redskins.
In the past with his Florida Gator teams, Spurrier was hesitant to hand over the reins to a freshman.
If Spurrier is unsettled about the state of the offense, the defensive unit likely has a stabling effect.
Pre-season All-SEC selection sophomore Ko Simpson returns to man his safety spot. Junior Jonathan Joseph will be back in his familiar corner position after being sidelined most of last season after suffering a broken foot against Georgia. Joseph will look to fill the void left by NFL-bound Taquiy Muhammad.
The only speculation on the defensive side of the ball revolves around the line. Spurrier will look to sophomore Marque Hall to anchor the unit while searching for a replacement for Moe Thompson, who was kicked off the team in February following burglary charges.
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