Win over Tennessee gives Gamecocks credibility with recruits

South Carolina will almost always have its home atmosphere to show off to recruiting targets.

As long as Will Muschamp is in Columbia, the Gamecocks will have a likable coaching staff with a history of signing top players.

That staff will attempt to sell top prospects on playing at Williams-Brice Stadium, practicing at the Gamecocks new outdoor and indoor practice facilities, and playing early as part of a build towards trips to Atlanta and the SEC Championship game.

But Saturday night's 24-21 upset victory over No. 18 Tennessee gives the South Carolina program something that no sales job alone can provide: credibility.

"I think you've always got to have promise in what you're trying to sell to a young man and his family and see that the product on the field is benefiting (the players)," Muschamp said during his weekly press conference Tuesday. "Most prospects talk to the players on the team, so they're going to find out if you're a good coach, if you really care about them off the field, all the things that a young man would ask another young man about a school, about the academic support, about all of the things that are important to a student-athlete when he's choosing a school. But you've got to be able to see some progress as far as those things are concerned. There's no doubt it helps."

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South Carolina's 2017 commitment class is already ranked No. 10 in the country by Rivals.com, but it's fairly common following a coaching change for prospects to jump at the idea of playing early under a new staff (see Kentucky under Mike Stoops), particularly when its a staff of strong recruiters. The key to a full rebuild is to continue the perception that a program is on the rise by winning on the field.

Many likely would have given Muschamp and staff a pass if those positive results didn't come this season. But upset wins over division opponents considered to be ahead of Carolina on the prospect-perception totem pole (and in reality), go a long way towards accelerating the progress of the rebuilding project.

"This is just the beginning of great things to come," said four-star defensive back Jamyest Williams, a key member of Carolina's 2017 class. "Many don't know that Jake (Bentley) is supposed to be in my class but came early. He's one of the main reasons for this turnaround, but there is plenty of more work to do. Great all around team effort to get the W."

It's one thing to sell a dream that a program is on the rise. It's something completely different to provide tangible evidence of it. The Gamecocks now have that.

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