Spring is the time for renewal. Most South Carolina fans know who the best football players will be on the 2009 season. Or do they? Simmering under the surface are several players who are ready to burst to the surface and show themselves. To earn a place on this list, a player must be in the program for at least one year. So, here are the five players I predict will emerge this spring as potentially key players on the 2009 Gamecocks:

1. T.J. JOHNSON: You knew Johnson had special qualities when USC head coach Steve Spurrier said last fall that Johnson had a realistic chance to play as a true freshman. One of the most difficult things to do as a college football players is play offensive line as a true freshman in the SEC, so that was a remarkable statement on Spurrier's part. Fortunately, Johnson was given the opportunity to redshirt and now USC could reap the benefits. By all accounts, Johnson has been a warrior in the weight room over the last eight months and has brought a potentially infectious attitude to the team, one that hopefully will rub off on some of his fellow linemen. Johnson is listed at 6-foot-4, 297 pounds on the latest roster, so it appears he's gained about 12 pounds since arriving on campus. With both guard spots wide open, Johnson could earn one of the two starting berths there. In fact, don't be surprised if he does.

2. KENNY MILES: Miles was an off-week away from having his red shirt lifted last season. But fortunately some of the running backs ahead of him got healthy and he didn't have to play. But there's no questioning Miles' talents. After rushing for more than 2,400 yards as a high school senior, he showed last fall during pre-season camp and then the scout team that he possesses the speed to excel at running back in the SEC. Now it's just a matter of getting an opportunity and that should come this fall. The race between Miles, Eric Baker and Brian Maddox should be tight – Jarvis Giles may miss the first several workouts to rest his injured foot – but Miles had as good a chance as any to emerge as the No. 1 guy. It helps that running backs coach Jay Graham is new and will open the spring with a clean slate.

3. TORI (CHILDERS) GURLEY: The player formerly known as Tori Childers has adopted the last name of his father. But he's the same beast when it comes to catching the football. He intended to play both football and basketball at North Carolina had he qualified when he graduated from Rock Hill (S.C.) High School in 2006. But he didn't and eventually ended up at a prep school in New Hampshire. He finally arrived at USC last fall about a week or so before the first game, so he didn't get a chance to prove himself. Had he been available from the start of camp, he could have earned significant playing time. He has great size (6-5, 227 pounds) and hands, and should be a handful for SEC defensive backs to cover with his seven-foot, one inch wingspan and 35-inch vertical leap. If you're a cornerback for one of USC's 12 opponents this season, all I can say is good luck. Adding to his immense physical skills is a burning determination to play well. As he told me last week, Steve Spurrier, Jr. is licking his chops waiting for practice to start.

4. DEVIN TAYLOR: Taylor redshirted last season after signing with USC as a top defensive end prospect, starting the wave of players from Beaufort High School. Taylor has good size (6-foot-7, 232 pounds) and is still growing. The most accurate description of Taylor is 'lanky.' In college football speak, that means he needs to add a few pounds. But when I spoke with DL Coach Brad Lawing recently, it was obvious he LOVES Taylor, and not just for what he brings to the field, but also how he conducts himself off it as well, including the classroom and weightroom. Before you can be a great player, you must want to be a great player, and Taylor appears to possess that desire. In short, Taylor is a great person in addition to being a pretty good football player.

5. ALONZO WINFIELD: I still fondly recall the January 2008 press conference in which Ellis Johnson was introduced as USC's new defensive coordinator. He said the three most important things he looks for in a defensive prospect are speed, speed and speed. Ah, life in the SEC. Well, Winfield possesses plenty of speed as seen by his blazing 4.3 time in the 40-yard dash last spring. His tremendous speed is the major reason Winfield has been penciled in as the starter at spur linebacker on the pre-spring depth chart ahead of Tony Straughter and Reggie Bowens. Winfield has flirted with a spot on the depth chart before but this will be his first true opportunity for a starting berth. Until now, Winfield has largely flown under the radar as a contributor on special teams. But that's about to change.