As June nears, we are rapidly approaching the worst part of the year for sports fans: The seemingly infinite stretch between the conclusion of the NBA Finals and the start of college football. Not content with the MLB regular season that seems to drag on and on, many of us turn to offseason storylines in football to keep us entertained. So for those of you who, like me, want to talk about football — particularly South Carolina football — all day, every day, I have great news for you: 100 days from today, Will Muschamp will lead the new-look Gamecocks onto the field for the first time. That may seem like a long way away, but it's not too far off to start talking football in Columbia.
Yet again, the Gamecocks have the pleasure of kicking off the first week of college football (yes, I know Cal plays Hawaii in Australia five days before the South Carolina opener, but the game starts at 1 a.m. EST, and quite frankly I don't care). While fans around the country will be anticipating what could be the greatest opening weekend in college football history, the Gamecock faithful will be searching for answers to numerous questions, plenty of which will carry over into the remainder of the South Carolina schedule.
The obvious storyline surrounding this team is the quarterback conundrum, as five men are still vying for the start under center in Nashville, with two favorites in incumbent Perry Orth and newcomer Brandon McIlwain, not to mention the dark horse Jake Bentley, who reclassified in order to sport the garnet and black this fall. I could ramble for pages about who has the edge in what is perceived to be a two-man race, but I won't. These Gamecocks have too many questions to be answered to get bogged down in a quarterback competition. So, ignoring the glaring question that will dominate Palmetto State headlines through the dog days of summer, let me take you through a few other issues Muschamp will be tasked with fixing.
Who's going to catch the ball?
We can stress all offseason about who's going to throw the ball, but it really doesn't matter who's under center if the Gamecocks don't have playmakers on the outside. With the departures of Pharoh Cooper and Jerell Adams to the greener pastures of the NFL, South Carolina's returning leading receiver is rising sophomore Deebo Samuel, who racked up a total of 161 yards last fall, 104 of which came in the season finale against Clemson. Granted, injuries limited him to only five games, but for the Gamecocks to rediscover success through the air, Samuel will need to catch more balls than the 12 he caught last season.
Early-enrollee Bryan Edwards impressed coaches this spring enough to be listed as a starter on the team's preseason depth chart. Edwards, a four-star recruit, caught two touchdowns in April's spring game, and at 6-foot-3, he should be an option in the red zone for Orth/McIlwain/Bentley/Harris Pastides/whoever ends up quarterbacking the Gamecocks. Tight end Hayden Hurst, a former minor league baseball player, has the size to contribute in the passing game, in addition to speedster Javon Charleston, who could split time in the slot with Jamari Smith.
To answer the question, Samuel and Edwards should see the majority of targets, but expect Hurst, Charleston and Smith to be among many who turn in solid performances throughout the season.
Can South Carolina sack the quarterback?
After recording 14 sacks in 2014, the Gamecocks improved slightly, getting to the quarterback 20 times last season. Highly-touted JUCO recruit Marquavius Lewis was expected to bring a boost to the South Carolina pass rush, but he logged just three sacks in 2015, good for second on the team behind Darius English. English returns for his senior season, and he has plenty of talent around him in Boosie Whitlow, Dante Sawyer, Kelsey Griffin and transfer Keir Thomas.
Defensive coordinator Travaris Robinson is known for his prowess in the secondary, and tightening up the coverage on the back end will allow for more penetration into opposing backfields. With the talent up front and a head coach known for his defenses in Muschamp, expect the Gamecocks to improve their sack total yet again.
Will the Gamecocks return to a bowl?
As far as fans, coaches and players are concerned, this may be the most important question for the upcoming season. South Carolina limped to a 3-9 record last year, missing the postseason for the first time since 2007. Considering the team enjoyed an 11-win season as recently as 2013, that's quite the drop-off. However, with a new coach — and consequently a new culture — the Gamecocks are poised to jump back into SEC East relevance. If South Carolina can survive September — a four-game stretch that brings three conference road games — with a 3-1 record, all signs would point to a bowl berth. That might sound like a tall task, but the Gamecocks will take on Vanderbilt, Mississippi State and Kentucky, three teams projected to finish towards the bottom of the game's most prestigious conference.
From there, the team won't leave Columbia until Nov. 12, when they travel to take on Florida. The five-game home stand brings some tough opponents to town, but it's fair to expect the Gamecocks to steal one at home against either Texas A&M, Georgia or Tennessee, as it's unlikely that those three teams will all be as good as advertised. The Missouri game is winnable, and a home game against UMass is a must-win if this South Carolina team is to make it back to December.
With a 3-1 start, a home upset win and a victory over UMass, the Gamecocks would only need a win at home over Western Carolina to secure a bowl bid. It may be a lofty expectation, but I believe Will Muschamp will prove the hype around this team to be warranted and start his rebuild with at least a six-win regular season.