Why Muschamp thinks this is the 'best team coming back' he's had

Quality depth and a deep, veteran football team is hard to come by a lot of times in the SEC, so when a coach has one you really can’t fault him for talking about it.

As a lot gets made about the Gamecocks’ schedule entering the 2019 season, Will Muschamp’s opted to spend his time talking instead what he believes to be the “best team coming back" since he arrived in Columbia.

But why, in Muschamp’s opinion, does he think this might be a special group?

“You have a veteran quarterback returning, I think we’ve recruited very well, we have quality depth on our football team. I look at our senior class and I see guys like Bryan Edwards—who’s going to probably leave South Carolina with every receiving record there is—Donell Stanley, who’s a four year starter, Bryan who’s a four-year starter, Jake’s a four year starter,” he said. “I’m going to throw Sadarius Hutcherson in there as a three-year starter and a quality football player.”

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The Gamecocks are coming off a 7-6 year but return their leading passer from last season in Bentley, three of the top four rushers and four of the top five receivers from last season.

Of the 18 players to catch at least one pass last season, 14 return to this year’s team including two starters at wide receiver in Edwards and Shi Smith along with the two expected starting tight ends in Kyle Markway and Kiel Pollard.

They’re also returning three starters with a combined 51 starts on the offensive line.

“We have more quality depth on the offensive line. We have Kiel Pollard and Kyle Markway,” Muschamp said. “Kyle’s a junior but I’m going to throw him in that category of guys who are dependable players that are going to be productive for us. I think we’ve recruited well at the receiver position.”

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Defensively the Gamecocks return seven starters—three defensive linemen, two linebackers and two in the secondary—and work back in senior BUCK D.J. Wonnum and defensive back Jamyest Williams from injury.

They also add promising young talent like an Israel Mukuamu into the secondary made up of SEC All-Freshman corner Jaycee Horn and thumper R.J. Roderick.

The defensive line, which finally has the depth Muschamp said to compete at a high level, has five seniors on it—Javon Kinlaw, Keir Thomas, Wonnum, Danny Fennell and Kobe Smith—that will get mixed in with talent like Aaron Sterling, J.J. Enagbare, Rick Sandidge, Joe Anderson and Zacch Pickens.

Linebacker also gets a few new pieces in Derek Boykins and Jahmar Brown to couple with promising young sophomores Ernest Jones and Rosendo Louis.

“You look at the five seniors on the defensive line along with the depth we’ve recruited there. We need to be more consistent at linebacker; we weren’t very consistent at linebacker last year and we need more consistent play,” Muschamp Said. “We are a little thin in the secondary but we’re really talented back there. I like the guys we got.”

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Looking at the Gamecocks’ two-deep depth chart, it’s a mixture of young and old but it’s a special group for Muschamp.

The majority of the senior class this year was part of Muschamp’s first class at South Carolina with a lot of those guys—Bentley, Edwards, Wonnum, Rico Dowdle, Brunson—turning into three-year starters.

“I think it’s the first class where it’s all Coach Muschamp and our staff recruited guys it’s guys that bought in fully to what we do as a team and guys that are extremely confident because a lot of seniors have played for two or three years. a lot of guys have a lot of experience and a lot of confidence.”