It’s been less than a month since Ohio State beat Oregon to bring this past college football season to an end and the start of the 2015 season is still seven months away. But one day in the offseason, the spirit, competitiveness and general hoopla that makes college football unique comes alive. That day is National Signing Day.
This year, South Carolina, like most programs across the country, had some ups and downs on the recruiting trail. But the Gamecocks had an especially tough time keeping commits pledged as nine players would end up decommitting. Ultimately, head coach Steve Spurrier’s staff was able to sign 32 players and the Gamecocks’ recruiting class was ranked 18th nationally by Rivals.com. Here’s a breakdown of the Gamecocks’ newest group of players by assigning some superlatives.
Jewel of the class: Marquavius Lewis
Several of South Carolina’s signees are junior college prospects, including defensive end Marquavius Lewis, who is perhaps Spurrier’s best pull. A Greenwood, South Carolina native, Lewis played at Hutchinson Community College in Kansas and will have two years of eligibility at South Carolina. Lewis signed his letter of intent on Dec. 17, 2014 and enrolled in the university at the beginning of the spring semester. Listed as 6-foot-3 and 266 lbs, Lewis has the size and strength to contribute early and possibly even start along South Carolina’s defensive line. Top tier programs like Alabama and Georgia extended offers to Lewis and the Gamecocks had to survive a late push by Auburn before Lewis signed with South Carolina.
Most Impressive Position Group: Defensive Line
Last season South Carolina’s defense gave up over 30 points per game and a fair amount of the Gamecocks’ problems started up front. South Carolina averaged only 1.08 sacks per game, 119th nationally. However, South Carolina’s coaching staff made the defensive line a point of emphasis with this class by adding five defensive ends and two defensive tackles. Led by Lewis, four of South Carolina’s defensive linemen commits are four-stars according to Rivals.com. Additionally, four of the six defensive linemen are junior college or prep school signees and a few of them could make an immediate impact. One of those guys is defensive tackle Dexter Wideman. Wideman originally committed to South Carolina in February 2014 but spent the past year at Camden Military Academy. Another guy who could see the field early is defensive end Dante Sawyer, who played this past season at East Mississippi Community College and picked the Gamecocks over Missouri.
The one that got away: Arden Key
Those who follow South Carolina recruiting have known about defensive end Arden Key since 2013 and soon learned that his constant changes of heart mirrored that of a soap opera character. In less than a two-year span, Key verbally committed to South Carolina and then decommitted on two different occasions. Even after opening his recruitment back up at the beginning of the month, the Gamecocks were still a finalist for the Lithonia, Georgia native. But Key would eventually spurn the Gamecocks and sign with LSU. The loss of Key obviously hurts for South Carolina considering how much time the Gamecock coaching staff invested in bringing the talented defensive lineman to Columbia and also because of the big impact he could have had. While offensive and defensive linemen usually take the longest to get acclimated to the college game, Key definitely would have had a great opportunity to play immediately for South Carolina and could have bolstered a defense that gave up over 432 yards per game last season.
Most Intriguing: Lorenzo Nunez
Without a doubt, one of the biggest question marks about South Carolina’s offense in 2015 is the quarterback position. While Dylan Thompson had his ups and downs last season, one thing he certainly possessed was experience, and the Gamecocks now lack that under center. Returning quarterbacks Perry Orth and Connor Mitch combined to throw just eight passes in 2014 and both have little game experience. That’s where incoming freshman Lorenzo Nunez comes into the equation. A 6-foot-3 and 190 lbs dual-threat quarterback, Nunez could compete for playing time and maybe even a starting role right off the bat. Nunez’s speed is something the Gamecocks didn’t have at the quarterback position in 2014 and he should definitely compete with Orth and Mitch. While not many quarterbacks have played much as a true freshman at South Carolina under Spurrier, he has shown in the past that he’s not afraid to play his best option no matter what the situation is. Nunez picked South Carolina over offers from schools such as Clemson and Ohio State.
Latest Addition: Rashad Fenton
Nearly all of South Carolina’s signees had decided to become Gamecocks before National Signing Day, but cornerback Rashad Fenton didn’t make his decision until Wednesday morning. A native of Miami, Florida, Fenton is one of the four defensive backs in the class. Fenton picked South Carolina over Florida and Louisville.