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It’s that time of the year. Well, it’s almost that time of the year. Football season gave us a tease of its scandalous ankles Saturday when South Carolina had its annual Garnet and Black spring game.
With 32,916 fans in attendance for Will Muschamp and his coach staff’s official debut as Gamecocks, the Black team dominated, defeating the Garnet team 35-14.
Coming into the Garnet and Black Game, there are some obvious questions. Will new head coach Will Muschamp and his coaching staff make an immediate positive impact come September? Who’s going to start at quarterback? Who’s going to be the main weapon on offense? But among these broader questions are more pressing and specific issues that could be addressed during the spring game.
Will Muschamp's program will add yet another talented young quarterback in 2016 to an already robust crop. The highly touted Jake Bentley, ranked the No. 2 pro-style quarterback in the class of 2017 per ESPN, has announced that he will reclassify as a 2016 recruit and enroll at South Carolina this summer.
Coming into Wednesday's pro day for the South Carolina football team, scouts and fans alike were eagerly anticipating watching wide receiver Pharoh Cooper run through some tests, particularly the 40-yard dash, as the star wideout skipped all running events at the NFL Combine due to a leg injury. Cooper didn't blow anyone away with his speed, but he blended in with an uncharacteristically slow receiver class, running a time of 4.61. Cooper wasn't too concerned about his time, however, as he believes his on-field work should be the main topic of discussion.
Injuries have plagued the South Carolina quarterback competition this spring, bringing early enrollee Brandon McIlwain to the forefront. However, coach Will Muschamp has decided to stray from the conventional path, abolishing the position of quarterback altogether.
New head coach Will Muschamp has plenty of doubters, and to be honest, he deserves a bit of skepticism. In four years at the helm in Gainesville, Florida, Muschamp underachieved greatly in three of them, including a 4-8 campaign in 2013 that included a loss to Division I-AA's Georgia Southern. Florida had a great deal of NFL-caliber talent, particularly on the defensive end, but Muschamp could never seem to get the right offensive schemes together to be competitive. Even in the team's 11-2 2012 season, where the Gators were humiliated by Louisville in the Sugar Bowl, the offense was relatively stagnant, relying on phenomenal defense to eek out victories.
Coach Will Muschamp has been able to cut his list of five first-team quarterbacks to three in the first two weeks of spring practice, though it hasn't happened the way he envisioned. After seeing sophomore Lorenzo Nunez go down with a knee injury, senior Perry Orth broke his collarbone in Saturday's scrimmage, knocking out the team's two leading passers from last season. While Nunez could return before the team wraps up for the spring — contrary to initial reports — Orth will not be back in pads until at least the summer, as he underwent surgery on Saturday.
The first major development in the race for the next South Carolina quarterback took place Saturday as rising sophomore quarterback Lorenzo Nunez suffered a knee injury that could sideline him for the entire spring. Despite strong pushes from the coaching staff, Nunez was not an early enrollee last spring, which gave him little time to prepare. While many wanted Nunez to be the main man under center last fall, he started just two games, playing in eight games total, while throwing just 52 passes. He was second on the the team with 375 rushing yards, but the Gamecocks were tied with Vanderbilt for the 11th-best rushing offense in the SEC.
As the clock ticked down in the NFC Championship game, putting the Carolina Panthers in Super Bowl 50, I was approached by the editor-in-chief of The Daily Gamecock, Kamila Melko. In a very excited tone, Kamila told me that I should try to get us press passes to cover and photograph the game, which was in Santa Clara two weeks ahead. I did some research, sent some emails, and figured out where and how to apply for the game. Long story short, we were not granted credentials for the Super Bowl. But I now had an approved account with the NFL Communications department, giving me access to press releases and applications for other events, such as the Pro Bowl and the NFL Combine.
South Carolina running back Brandon Wilds didn't wow any scouts with his on-field workouts at the NFL Combine on Friday, but he didn't disappoint either. Just as he did during his four years in Columbia, the Blythewood native displayed incredible consistency, further proving his reliability to professional scouts.
Ole Miss defensive tackle Robert Nkemdiche has unquestionable talent, which is why he was rated as the top player in his class coming out of high school and is projected to be selected in the first round of the 2016 NFL Draft. However, at his NFL Combine interview Friday, Nkemdiche didn't find himself talking about football hardly at all.
“I feel like me playing football is a gift, being able to compose music is a gift too, so I’m not going to just let it go to waste."
Despite just 28 catches in 2015, South Carolina tight end Jerell Adams is making his way up teams' draft boards, largely due to a strong week at the Senior Bowl. Heading into the his on-field workouts at the NFL Combine on Saturday, Adams is ranked as the sixth best tight end in the draft class, but with another strong performance, he could continue to creep up the list.
South Carolina wide receiver Pharoh Cooper came into college wanting to play defensive back for Coach Steve Spurrier, before switching to offense during preseason practice of his freshman year. Now at the NFL Combine, Cooper views his variety of roles in the Gamecock offense as a strength, giving him an advantage as he heads towards playing on Sundays.
When the next group of NFL hopeful wide receivers takes the field Saturday attempting to impress scouts with a speedy 40-yard dash time, South Carolina's Pharoh Cooper will not be among them. Cooper will participate in other drills, but due to a quad injury, he is likely pulling out to avoid disappointing scouts with a slow time.
With the 2016 NFL Scouting Combine comes the chance for many players to make an impact on NFL scouts and coaches in hopes of boosting their draft stock and potential rookie paycheck. South Carolina will have four players in Indianapolis this weekend in wide receiver Pharoh Cooper, tight end Jerell Adams, running back Brandon Wilds and offensive lineman Brandon Shell.
1. Who’s playing quarterback?Three quarterbacks with significant playing time return to South Carolina in 2016, but new co-offensive coordinators Kurt Roper and Brian McClendon likely won’t be judging a three-horse race.Expect early arrival Brandon Mcllwain to push for playing time. A two-sport star and the nation’s second-ranked dual-threat quarterback out of high school, this freshman could be on the field early and often.If Mcllwain struggles, returning starter Perry Orth is an option. The rising senior threw for 1,929 yards and 12 touchdowns in 2015, along with nine interceptions. Behind Orth is Lorenzo Nunez, who’s known for his ability to scramble.Perhaps Connor Mitch could factor into the race, but Gamecocks’ fans haven’t heard much from him since a putrid performance in a loss to SEC Eastern Division rival Kentucky. 2. Who will replace Pharoh Cooper at wideout?Cooper was Carolina’s most valuable player on offense in both ’14 and ’15, totaling 2,109 yards in his final two seasons in garnet and black.Unfortunately for South Carolina, Cooper will be walking greener pastures in the NFL next season, which leaves Muschamp and the Gamecocks questions at the position.Answers could come from three places. Firstly, Deebo Samuel could contribute. Samuel finished strong in 2015, ending the day with a 5-catch, 104-yard performance against rival Clemson.If Nunez doesn’t find playing time at quarterback, he could fit in Roper’s system as a receiver. He’s tall and athletic. From Muschamp’s recruiting class, four-star Bryan Edwards could earn some playing time as well. 3. How improved will the defense be with the return of Skai Moore?Muschamp and his staff of ace recruiters didn’t only sign the 27th ranked recruiting class on short notice, but they also convinced veteran South Carolina linebacker Moore to stick around for one more year. Moore will be playing safety in 2016 in an attempt to boost his draft stock.With the return of the 6-foot-2, 218-pound Moore, the Gamecocks add depth, experience and seasoned talent. Not only that, but he should be a leader for Carolina’s defense, whether that’s on the field or in the locker room.Moore bolsters the defense significantly, but will defensive coordinator Travaris Robinson be able to develop the rest? This question can only be answered with time. 4. Was Will Muschamp the right hire?So far, so good. Muschamp stacked the Gamecocks’ staff with football knowledge and recruiting expertise. Muschamp put the coaching staff in place, and the staff worked to scrape together a top-30 recruiting class in the span of two months.We know Muschamp can recruit and coach defense, but it’ll be a wait-and-see game to when it comes to the subject of Roper and offensive production. The ex-Florida coach will have to prove that he can win in the big, bad SEC on a second go-round.The rebuilding task could be monumental, and the Muschamp question might not be answerable for the next two to three years. However, 2016’s recruiting class lays a solid framework for the future.
Peyton Manning is not only one of the greatest quarterbacks to ever play the game of football, but he is arguably one of the greatest players in the history of the game. He is an offensive coordinator playing quarterback and he understands every nuance about the game. This, along with his numerous acts of charity and generosity, led him in becoming one of the most respected players in the NFL.
Who doesn't love a good scandal? Especially as members of the media, we live to dig up the dirt. The world of sports has more than its fair share of Hamlets and Achilles, the wonderboy phenoms who eventually fall victim to their tragic vices. We have Deflategate, performance enhancing drug accusations and recruiting violations. There is one scandal we have to turn our back on though, one sick individual who needs a dose of tough love. Lending Cleveland Brown's quarterback Johnny Manziel our attention is only enabling him at this point, not helping him.