SOUTH CAROLINA GAMECOCKS FOOTBALL
Talking season is officially upon us, and the Gamecocks will take their annual turn at the car wash that is SEC Media Days in roughly 24 hours.
South Carolina takes its turn Wednesday afternoon answering any and every question reporters can come up with.
So here we'll take a look at a few questions each of the team's four representatives—Will Muschamp, Jake Bentley, Bryan Edwards and TJ Brunson—will get tomorrow.
Will Muschamp, head coach
Always about the schedule
It's something Muschamp's downplayed as the season's gotten closer and, yes, South Carolina plays a tough schedule; it's never an easy schedule in the SEC but this year's especially tough.
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They have to play seven teams in the top 20 of ESPN's FPI, including four in the top 10 and the top three: Clemson, Alabama and Georgia.
So whether or not Muschamp wants to, he'll have to answer questions about it.
Defensive improvement
Last year injuries took their toll on the Gamecocks' defense and it showed on the field with South Carolina finishing in the bottom half of the SEC in almost every team defensive category.
Muschamp's calling card during his career has been his defense and he'll likely have to explain why he thinks this iteration of the Gamecocks' defensive unit will be better than the last.
Williams-Brice improvements
It might not be something Muschamp may be asked directly, but the new multi-million dollar project at the football stadium is something that will definitely be brought up over the next 24 hours.
It'll likely come up in a question about alcohol sales and Muschamp could take some time there to focus instead on the improvements they're making to the stadium adding more premium seating and talking about enhancing the game day atmosphere.
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Jake Bentley, quarterback
Taking the next step in his game
Coming back for his senior season virtually clinched a few school records for Bentley. By the time his career ends he could hold school records for attempts, completions, passing touchdowns, yards and with six wins would join Connor Shaw as the only quarterbacks to win 25 games in their career.
But Bentley has had his struggles at times over his career and, entering his final season on campus, will have to talk about what he's done to take the next step in his game and what will be different about him in 2019.
Bryan Edwards, wide receiver
Year two under McClendon
Edwards has seen the evolution of South Carolina's offense from the first two years under Kurt Roper to now Bryan McClendon, who's entering his second season as the full-time play caller.
Edwards, who's coming back for his senior season, works closely with McClendon, who also serves as the receivers coach so he has a special expertise on how things have changed the last year or so, and he'll likely be asked what to expect from this year's version of the offense.
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TJ Brunson, linebacker
The lone defensive player on the trip to Hoover, Alabama, Brunson will field some questions about last year's defense and what to expect from the unit next year plus his health (he's 100 percent entering the fall after a shoulder surgery in the offseason) but some of the questions he'll get will be about some of the fast-rising, young players expected to play a lot defensively.
The Gamecocks played a lot of freshmen last year and have eight first or second year players listed on the defensive two-deep depth chart, so they'll rely heavily on younger players with Brunson expected to anchor things in the middle of the defense.
So it'll be Brunson's task at Media Days to explain what a lot of those newcomers bring to the table entering fall camp.