Will the Gamecocks Ever Have a Good Football Team Again

Sydney: Hello, faithful GABA readers. With things less than ideal with the baseball team (they aren't very expert), we can probably pause things upwards and talk a piddling about football - I guess. Although no Gamecocks got taken in the NFL Typhoon, a few have signed undrafted free agent deals, and so that's some good news on that forepart. Every bit far as on the field, it's however 124 days (at the time of this writing) until the Gamecocks accept on the N.C. Land Wolfpack upward in the Queen Metropolis of Charlotte.

But nosotros're non going to talk about adjacent year...then to speak. Instead, Chris and I are going to take y'all on a ride into the future: 2022, to exist exact. That seems a long style off, doesn't it, Chris?

Chris: I will be 30 in 2022, which is a terrifying thought in itself. Personally, it seems like forever. I can't visualize two years ahead of my time to come, permit solitary v.

Five years agone, South Carolina was coming off their first 11-win season e'er and were getting ready to accept what I believe was the all-time season in school history in 2012. Had you told me in 2012 that 5 years later, Will Muschamp would be SC's head passenger vehicle and Steve Spurrier would be back at Florida, I would take made you pee in a loving cup. And then in short, yes — it does seem like a long way off.

Sydney: I will be two years short of that magic number that'south x years less than 50 in 2022, but...well, let me modify the field of study earlier the gravity of that fact fully sinks in.

You bring up a skilful overarching betoken: and so much in the college football landscape tin modify in as petty as 5 years. (Unless, of form, y'all're Alabama and still winning championships.) Unfortunately, here at South Carolina, instead of a progression of what Steve Spurrier built, we've seen a decline - notably in the recruiting department - for reasons we've discussed numerous times hither.

I approximate that leads to the kickoff thing I experience (probably leaning more than on the hope side on this 1) that the Gamecocks are doing in five years: legitimately competing for height recruits and winning those recruiting battles on a regular basis. Losing Xavier Thomas (and I'yard not going to become into the why of it) was a big blow to what could have been a imprint 2018 class, only moving forward, I don't recollect it'southward too much to ask to have this plan being in the hunt for a expert swath of four-star (and, hey, maybe fifty-fifty a few five-star kids) come up five years from today.

Chris: If there was one affair for sure about the golden years, South Carolina landing the best in state recruits helped win 33 games in 3 years. Five years ago, South Carolina would have landed Xavier Thomas, because all the Gamecocks did was land the top in-land recruit: Stephon Gilmore, Marcus Lattimore, Jadeveon Clowney, etc. Will Muschamp has a lot of ground to make up with the mess Spurrier's final authorities left backside. In that location'south trust to fix, relationships to mend and a reputation to rebuild inside S Carolina'south nigh important recruiting grounds: Atlanta and S Charlotte. I don't recall people empathize the uphill nature of recruiting right at present for this staff.

Photo by Mike Comer/Getty Images

Sydney: And that steers me to the side by side topic: the staff. While it's withal a ways off, I'd like to think that Muschamp is however hither in 2022. It comes downwards to two major factors: a) can he recruit at a high level, and b) can he win. While he's said a lot of skilful things thus far, which I like, and while 2016 was a step (albeit a small one) in the correct direction, we even so haven't seen him country the really big fish. I understand it'south a process, and what he does in 2018 (on and off the field) will gear up a good framework for downward the road. Equally for the staff? That'due south a petty more of an unknown. If all of his assistants are here in five years, I guess we could count that as a win, but we could also count information technology every bit a) them either existence comfortable with where they are or b) pretty adept, but not good enough to take the next step in their career (i.east. a head coaching job). Hopefully that makes sense.

Chris: It won't take much to keep Muschamp hither through 2022. If he tin average seven to eight wins a twelvemonth and pulls a Clemson upset every one time in a while, he could retire in Columbia. From 2005 to 2009, Steve Spurrier went 35-28 with ane basin win, so if Muschamp could friction match that going into 2021 he'll exist fine. seven-5, 8-iv aren't the kind of records that become your staff plucked apart by vultures, simply I'm sure there'll exist some attrition in 5 years — it'south inevitable in the earth of higher football. So long as Muschamp tin go along the central pieces effectually like Bryan McClendon, Travaris Robinson and Kurt Roper, I think Boom will exist okay.

Sydney: Definitely agree with that assessment. The big question, though, is if being a centre-of-the-road SEC program will exist enough for the fanbase? Certain, Muschamp might be safe, per se, if he does average about 8 wins a yr, merely my fearfulness is that it won't be adequate in the stop to many, especially keeping the three 11-2 seasons in mind. Again, nosotros're looking adequately far into the hereafter, and then at worst I think that this program volition plateau at that eight-win mark you mentioned. At accented best, though, they're consistently competing in the SEC and at least finishing in that meridian 15-20 baseline that might go you lot a few votes in the CFP. That being said, I don't desire to get married to a specific prediction since nosotros're depending on so many unknown variables at this time.

Chris: Before I stand on my discourse, allow me say I graduated from SC in 2014 and am incredibly fond of those 11-2 seasons because I was in the stands for pretty much every game of that run. However, the fanbase can't stay hung up on those years as a bench mark for success. Look at those three seasons compared to the rest of S Carolina football history — they're outliers. Spurrier jumped on the fact Dabo Sweeney didn't have the same recruiting ascendancy that he did in 2008 and sucked up a bunch of blue chip recruits during a football game talent renaissance within the state of South Carolina.

Look at the names: Gilmore, Clowney, Jeffery, Ellington, Quarles, Swearinger, Holloman, Whitlock, Lattimore and then on. That's nine NFL players solitary pulled from your habitation state. That's not simply unprecedented for South Carolina from a recruiting standpoint, but it was unprecedented for the state to produce at the high school level. From 2010-2013, the Gamecocks caught lightning in a bottle — and every bit much as information technology pains me to my cadre to say this -- South Carolina football may never get back to that level again.

*Steps downwardly from Discourse*

In short, fans need to cease using xi-2 as a benchmark. Gamecock fans need to keep their expectations tempered, peculiarly since Muschamp is competing with the motorcar Dabo's built upstate.

Jake Bentley is totally going to be the #1 overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft. Maybe.

Photograph past Streeter Lecka/Getty Images

Sydney: I hear you. It's just going to be extremely difficult to atmosphere expectations, just allow's hope Muschamp can get things on rails and set information technology upwards for success downwards the route; information technology'due south not besides much to inquire for this team to play in a bowl every single yr and for them to get to a New Years' Six bowl on a fairly frequent-ish basis (hopefully at to the lowest degree once in that five-year bridge).

With all that said, we should probably bring this aeroplane in for a landing pretty soon. Any closing overall thoughts/predictions to throw out there before we wrap up?

Chris: I would encourage Gamecock fans everywhere to exist cautious in their optimism about this regime. Understanding all the qualifiers at Florida, Muschamp did neglect at a job that's prepare up to be fairly neglect-proof. As far equally what Muschamp has done at SC, recruiting, defensive comeback and potential at quarterback take all been encouraging but that's about all information technology is — encouraging. One year is too small of a sample to actively gauge how a staff volition project over the side by side five years, then staying cautiously optimistic is the best course to accept from here. I know fans were probably looking for more fireworks and hot takes, only realistically speaking that's where I stand and that'due south where other Gamecock fans should stand up too.

Sydney: You know what, Chris? This was fun. What do y'all say nigh digging this up 5 years from now and seeing how we did? I experience like we should print this out, stick it in a fourth dimension capsule and not open it until May i, 2022, but to realize how incorrect we where when the Gamecocks really stop upwards signing the top classes in 2020 and 2021 and end up winning back-to-back national championships. Oh, wait - y'all said cautious optimism. Never mind.

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Allow's see what you guys accept to say in the comments beneath. And accomplish out to u.s. on social as well. I'm at @shwrites, Chris is at @theTEXAStanley, and we're all over at @GABAttack or facebook.com/garnetandblackattack.

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Source: https://www.garnetandblackattack.com/south-carolina-gamecocks-football/2017/5/1/15431704/south-carolina-football-five-years-will-muschamp-sec-college-football

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