W
Wes Mitchell
Guest
South Carolina hit the practice field five times last week after opening camp last Monday morning. Three of those practices featured a short session that was open to the media while offensive coordinator Kurt Roper and defensive coordinator Travaris Robinson spoke following the other two. Here's what we learned from the first week of practice.
Shi Smith has a lot of people's attention - The former four-star receiver from Union (S.C.) County High has been the talk of camp so far and has flashed in practice as possibly being the best current player in South Carolina's crop of newcomers. Smith was a difference-maker at the high school level, and if the first week is any indication, that has translated to the college field. The Gamecocks have some proven options in their receiving corps but Smith could provide some extra speed and explosiveness to the passing game.
Defensive coordinator Travaris Robinson: “Shi Smith is a really, really good player. I thought that Shi Smith is doing a really good job, and I’m excited to see where he can go.”
D.J. Wonnum is starting to make noise - Wonnum was one of the surprises of camp as a freshman last fall and he again seems on track to exceed expectations this year as a sophomore. The 6-foot-4, 251-pounder has had an excellent offseason, gaining good weight in Carolina's weight program, and has picked up right where he left off this spring when he was the Rex Enright Defensive Player of the Spring.
Carolina's pass-rush is a major question mark, but the emergence of Wonnum at the BUCK position should at least be a good first step towards alleviating that concern.
Senior linebacker Bryson Allen-Williams: "He's a technician. He has great hands, great feet, great size. I just can't wait to see him play this year. A lot of people don't really know about him. They're going to get to know him soon.
More diversity in offensive and defensive schemes - The messages from both offensive coordinator Kurt Roper and defensive coordinator Travaris Robinson were similar in that both coaches expect to be able to expand their playbooks in Year 2 at South Carolina.
Both coordinators were forced to limit their schemes in 2016 in order to keep their players comfortable and from having to think too much. With many players back in their second years in the scheme, both Roper and Robinson will be able to give opponents more looks to prepare for this season.
Junior tight end Jacob August: “Last year we were kind of limited because we didn’t have much time to learn the plays and the concepts, so we had to keep things in one specific way. Now that we all know what we’re doing and we have more depth, we can really expand the playbook.”
Team speed is improved - Muschamp lamented the Gamecocks' lack of team speed last season and they seem to have made strides in that area this offseason. There's certainly still going to be room to improve that moving forward, but the Gamecocks are starting to look more like an SEC team through recruiting and the work of strength coach Jeff Dillman.
Robinson: "Obviously, you can tell team speed has improved, and that's something that Coach Muschamp has been talking about. Our guys have gotten faster and you definitely can see that."
Shi Smith has a lot of people's attention - The former four-star receiver from Union (S.C.) County High has been the talk of camp so far and has flashed in practice as possibly being the best current player in South Carolina's crop of newcomers. Smith was a difference-maker at the high school level, and if the first week is any indication, that has translated to the college field. The Gamecocks have some proven options in their receiving corps but Smith could provide some extra speed and explosiveness to the passing game.
Defensive coordinator Travaris Robinson: “Shi Smith is a really, really good player. I thought that Shi Smith is doing a really good job, and I’m excited to see where he can go.”
D.J. Wonnum is starting to make noise - Wonnum was one of the surprises of camp as a freshman last fall and he again seems on track to exceed expectations this year as a sophomore. The 6-foot-4, 251-pounder has had an excellent offseason, gaining good weight in Carolina's weight program, and has picked up right where he left off this spring when he was the Rex Enright Defensive Player of the Spring.
Carolina's pass-rush is a major question mark, but the emergence of Wonnum at the BUCK position should at least be a good first step towards alleviating that concern.
Senior linebacker Bryson Allen-Williams: "He's a technician. He has great hands, great feet, great size. I just can't wait to see him play this year. A lot of people don't really know about him. They're going to get to know him soon.
More diversity in offensive and defensive schemes - The messages from both offensive coordinator Kurt Roper and defensive coordinator Travaris Robinson were similar in that both coaches expect to be able to expand their playbooks in Year 2 at South Carolina.
Both coordinators were forced to limit their schemes in 2016 in order to keep their players comfortable and from having to think too much. With many players back in their second years in the scheme, both Roper and Robinson will be able to give opponents more looks to prepare for this season.
Junior tight end Jacob August: “Last year we were kind of limited because we didn’t have much time to learn the plays and the concepts, so we had to keep things in one specific way. Now that we all know what we’re doing and we have more depth, we can really expand the playbook.”
Team speed is improved - Muschamp lamented the Gamecocks' lack of team speed last season and they seem to have made strides in that area this offseason. There's certainly still going to be room to improve that moving forward, but the Gamecocks are starting to look more like an SEC team through recruiting and the work of strength coach Jeff Dillman.
Robinson: "Obviously, you can tell team speed has improved, and that's something that Coach Muschamp has been talking about. Our guys have gotten faster and you definitely can see that."
