When Eric Wolford got to South Carolina, he had a pretty eye-opening conversation with Donell Stanley.

The new Gamecock coach told the offensive lineman, who played almost exclusively at guard, that sooner or later he was going to have to move positions.

“Our first meeting, he was like, ‘You’re going to have to play center,’” Stanley said. “I was kind of shocked about it. I’d never played. But once Alan (Knott) left he was like, ‘You’re my guy.’”

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Knott, who anchored the Gamecocks’ offensive line for two seasons at center, graduated leaving the spot vacant heading into Will Muschamp’s third season.

Now, it’s Stanley’s turn to take up Wolford’s challenge and move into that center role.

He’s already one of the most seasoned members of the Gamecocks offense, racking up 13 career starts, the fifth-most of any offensive player on the roster.

It’s a little different moving from one of the guard spots to right in the thick of things. As the center, Stanley’s responsible for knowing—and communicating—everyone’s assignment along the line.

Being loud and vocal is a little different for Stanley, who’d rather be spending his afternoon fishing on a quiet lake if he’s not on the football field, but he’s growing into the role well.

“I think he’s really developed to be the leader of our offensive line,” Muschamp said. “I think that started in the summer, really I’d say spring and bled into the summer. I think he’s doing a fantastic job in leading that group.”

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Stanley’s growing into his role now, and is learning how vital it is, especially in Bryan McClendon’s offense.

The first-year offensive coordinator wants the Gamecocks to up the tempo this season, which can only happen if Stanley is fast enough to get up to the line, make adjustments and get the ball back to quarterback Jake Bentley.

So far, so good.

“He’s done well. He’s been great. He’s a guy that pulls us together a little bit,” Wolford said. “I expect Donell to have a great year.”

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But one of the biggest things he’s had to work on hasn’t been the tempo or the knowledge of the system.

As a junior, he’s a guy that has a pretty firm grasp on what’s expected of the offensive line. His biggest adjustment came with something exclusive to the center position: the snap.

Getting the ball back cleanly to Bentley was something he had to work on. He admitted the first few times he rolled some snaps back there, but worm-burner snaps haven’t been a problem in fall camp so far.

Now Stanley can focus on what comes after the snap, which is getting ready to block whatever defensive lineman that is in front of him.

“It’s got to become natural. You’re going to have to have a guy from me to you, if not closer. You have to learn how to step and snap and finesse the system and getting the call. If you can command that extra step, you’ll be on top of everything.”