With the 2012 football season over and the recruiting period in high gear, it is time to run down just where the teams in the Southeastern Conference are in preparing for the 2013 season.
Here is a thumbnail look at the South Carolina Gamecocks.
2012 REVIEW: South Carolina continued its climb to excellence under Steve Spurrier by finishing 11-2 and ranked No. 8 in the Associated Press Top 10 for the second consecutive year.
The Gamecocks opened the season with six straight wins, including a 35-7 victory over Georgia that appeared to put South Carolina in position to challenge for the SEC East title. But the dream took a hit with back-to-back losses to LSU and Florida to fall to 6-2.
Carolina got back in the winning column after the Florida loss by beating Tennessee to start a four-game winning streak. It ended the year with a win over Michigan in the Outback Bowl.
Along the way Steve Spurrier had to juggle his quarterbacks Connor Shaw and Dylan Thompson because of lingering injury problems to Shaw, who opened the season as the starter. Thompson replaced Shaw on occasion and the Gamecocks’ offense didn’t seem to miss a beat due to an outstanding receiving corps led by Bruce Ellington and Ace Sanders. Once again Marcus Lattimore suffered a season-ending injury, and Kenny Miles became the Gamecocks featured back in Lattimore’s absence.
The Gamecocks defense was one of the most aggressive in the country. They recorded a school-record 43 sacks, led by Jadeveon Clowney’s 13, which was fifth-best in the country.
SENIOR STARTERS LOST: Center T.J. Johnson, tight end Justice Cunningham, tailback Kenny Miles, fullback Qua Gilchrist, defensive end Devin Taylor, defensive tackle Byron Jerideau, linebacker Reginald Bowens, linebacker Shaq Wilson, linebacker DeVonte Holloman, safety D.J. Swearinger, cornerback Akeem Auguste, placekicker Adam Yates, long snapper Walker Inabinet and holder Seth Strickland
KEY JUNIORS WHO DECLARED FOR NFL DRAFT: Running back Marcus Lattimore
RECRUITING NEEDS: The starters lost are basically divided between offense and defense. With Lattimore and Miles gone, running back is a big need. The offensive line has some major holes to fill and a new placekicker needs to be found. The defensive secondary will need some help as will the defensive front.
COMMITMENTS: Rivals.com ranks South Carolina’s 2013 class eighth in the Southeastern Conference and 17th in the country with 20 commitments, including seven 4-star recruits. According to Rivals the top recruits for the Gamecocks are running back David Williams fromPhiladelphia, PA., defensive tackle Kelsey Griffin from Hoschton, GA., linebacker Larenz Bryant from Charlotte, NC., offensive lineman D.J. Park of Dillon, SC. and quarterback Connor Mitch from Raleigh, NC.
Scout.com doesn’t rank SouthCarolinaas high as Rivals. According to Scout.com, the Gamecocks have 20 recruits, are ranked No. 22 in the nation and No. 9 in the Southeastern Conference. Scout givesSouth Carolinaeight offensive recruits and 12 on the defensive side of the ball. Scout likes four of the players ranked 4-stars like Rivals, with the exception of quarterback Connor Mitch, who Scout ranks as a 3-star recruit.
MaxPreps.com ranks South Carolina’s class 15th in the country and seventh in the SEC. It bases its ranking on 17 commitments, two of which are players in the Top 100. MaxPreps’ top South Carolina recruits are Larenz Bryant at No. 45 and D.J. Park at No. 53.
COACH SPEAK: Steve Spurrier: “”I’m very proud of our team and what we accomplished this season. We are obviously thrilled to be ranked one spot better than we were last year and the highest in school history. Much of the credit goes to our seniors, especially the leadership provided by our captains — D.J. Swearinger, T.J. Johnson, Justice Cunningham and Shaq Wilson — which was instrumental in our success. We lose a lot of outstanding players but have a good nucleus returning for next season. Our goals will be just as high. Our No. 1 goal is to win the SEC Championship and we’ll try to accomplish that next season.”