By way of injuries or talent, the Gamecocks played quiet a few freshmen last season who now enter their sophomore season with some experience until their belt.

Now, as they try and rebound from a 4-8 season, a lot of those now-sophomores will be tasked with taking a jump and be more productive.

Before the scheduled season, we're looking at each class and some of the most important players in each, with the sophomore class up next.

Ryan Hilinski

This is a given, since Hilinski is the incumbent starter at quarterback, the most important position on the field. After getting thrust into the starter role one game into the season, he had an up and down freshman year, throwing for 11 touchdowns but completing just 58.1 percent of his passes and averaging 5.8 yards per attempt.

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He's now healthy after a knee procedure and will need to continue to improve if he wants to first keep his starting spot and help get the Gamecock offense back on track after the unit struggled last season.

Jammie Robinson

Robinson was a stud last year as a All-Freshman defensive back and that shouldn't change next season as he enters training camp as a surefire starter. Before spring practice was put on hiatus he was splitting time at nickel and at safety and could see time at both spots this fall.

South Carolina's safety play has been inconsistent the last few years and if Robinson continues his upward trajectory it should bolster the back end of that defensive backfield.

Zacch Pickens

Pickens' stats as a freshman—16 tackles—isn't eye-popping but he was one of the higher-graded defensive linemen for South Carolina last year and he'll be in the thick of the competition for one of the starting defensive tackle spots vacated by Javon Kinlaw and Kobe Smith.

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If he does earn a starting spot and tap into even more of his five-star talent the Gamecocks might not see too much of a slip in production up the middle.

Xavier Legette

The Gamecocks weren't an explosive offense last season in large part because they didn't have multiple options who could take the top off of a defense. Legette showed flashes of that in his first full year at wide receiver after playing quarterback in high school.

South Carolina desperately needs a guy like Legette, who can be an explosive receiver outside, to step up and try to help revitalize the offense.

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Hank Manos and Jovaughn Gwyn

Yes the offense is returning at least three starters from last year's roster but it'll need to find a center to replace Donell Stanley, which is where Manos and Gwyn come into play.

Both are redshirt sophomores who are candidates to take over at the middle of the line; Manos has two starts at center and Gwyn started last year at guard and could bump either further inside to center if the Gamecocks need him to.

Regardless of who gets the job South Carolina is going to need both guys to step up this season if the offensive line wants to take another step forward.