In a few days, or even hours at this point, the Gamecocks will officially have their new head coach.

South Carolina is closing in on naming Shane Beamer the 35th head coach in program history, and with it comes the challenge of trying to rebuild a roster that went 2-8 this season in the SEC.

But, as the Gamecocks enter the offseason, interim head coach Mike Bobo doesn’t think things are as far off as perception dictates.

“You’re never as good as you think and you’re never as bad as you think. It doesn’t look like it at 2-8, but the margin is not as wide as you think or even as the individuals in that locker room think,” he said after a loss to Kentucky. “It’s closer than you think. It’s right there.”

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The Gamecocks lost six straight games to end the year after starting 2-2 with Will Muschamp getting fired in the process.

But, amid the adversity that was the final three games of the season, the Gamecocks never backed down and it’s that kind of mentality players think the new head coach is inheriting.

The Gamecocks have a lot of holes and places to address on the roster, especially offensively, but also have a freshman quarterback with three starts under his belt, a 1,000-yard rusher coming back and a five-star running back in MarShawn Lloyd coming off an ACL injury.

“He’s definitely going to have a team that fights hard and doesn’t give up,” Jabari Ellis said. “No matter how it goes, we’re not going to fold and take it. He’s going to have a team that fights hard. The biggest thing is making it mesh together.”

The biggest issue, Bobo thinks, heading into the offseason is building a chemistry that was hard to cultivate this year across college football because of COVID protocols and limited time inside the facility.

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“That’s the number one challenge for the next head coach: create that bond for the football team,” Bobo said. “A lot of coaches out there are going to have that challenge.”

The next few weeks are going to be big for the Gamecocks with players making decisions about whether to stay or leave and Beamer having to put together a staff and the base of his 2021 class.

Some guys have choices to make, but Kevin Harris said Saturday night his plan is to return to South Carolina for his junior season and not explore other options.

“From me, he’s getting a hard worker,” he said. “I’m going to work hard every day. That’s all I can say about it. “