The arrival of warm weather in SEC country signals the beginning of outdoor football practices. After a long offseason of weightlifting, cardio workouts and individual drills, the Gamecocks began spring practices Tuesday.
Practices conclude with the annual Garnet and Black spring game, the inter-squad scrimmage held on April 11, which gives fans a chance to see the team in a game setting. The spring game is often highlighted by a celebrity appearance, most recently a touchdown catch by women’s head basketball coach Dawn Staley.
The most intriguing position battle this spring is the fight for the starting quarterback job. Sophomore Connor Mitch remains the frontrunner. Odds are either he or former walk-on Perry Orth will take the snaps behind center this season, but redshirt freshman Michael Scarnecchia and junior Brendan Nosovitch lurk close behind.
Both Mitch and Orth impressed today, standing in the pocket with poise and hitting their receivers with solid accuracy.
“Connor Mitch [has] tremendously improved from when he first came here,” Spurrier said. “He seems to have a bit more confidence and seems to know what to do now. Perry Orth throws a beautiful pass.”
The Gamecocks enter the spring thin at receiver having lost four top targets from last year’s team. Only junior Pharoh Cooper and senior Shamier Jeffery caught passes last season.
Redshirt freshman Deebo Samuel looked sharp in drills Tuesday, running crisp routes and catching just about everything that was thrown his way. He and several other unproven wideouts will have the chance to compete for a starting job this spring.
Tuesday was also the first look at Jon Hoke’s new defensive scheme. Even though the Gamecocks only practiced one coverage type today, junior linebacker Skai Moore says the scheme will change some from last season.
“It’s more so a 4-3,” Moore said. “We’ve got three base linebackers and four down linemen, that’s out base set.”
Last season, co-defensive coordinator Lorenzo Ward ran a 4-2-5 defense with a hybrid linebacker-safety called the Spur. This year, Hoke will most likely move the defense to his signature zone blitz system, using a 4-3 base.
Ward will coach the front seven, while Hoke will lead the secondary and call plays.
“[Hoke’s] a good guy,” Spurrier said. “He fits in everywhere he goes 'cause he’s a good person, a good guy. He’s been around a lot of really sharp coaches, and I think he’s a sharp coach.”
The Gamecocks began on the new practice fields with individual drills, breaking players down by position to sharpen specific skills with each position coach, before coming together to run plays.
Defensive end Marquavius Lewis spent the bulk of his time with the first team despite never playing a down with the Gamecocks. The former No. 3 junior college recruit in the country will look to strengthen a weak pass rush from last season.
Moore said there is a different feeling this spring. Coming off a disappointing 7-6 season, the changes are understandable.
“There’s a sense of urgency out here,” Moore said. “There’s no loafing.”
Many fans are hoping to have all of their questions answered after a single practice. However, coaches will continue to get a feel for the new team dynamic in the coming weeks.
“The guys seemed a little faster and quicker this time of year, which is normal.” Spurrier said. “We’re just out here running plays, trying to get guys lined up. We’ve got a lot of new players as we all know. They showed a lot of hustle and effort.”
The Gamecocks will practice Thursday, Friday and Saturday. All practices on Thursdays and Fridays are closed to the public, while Saturday practices taking place on the practice field are open and those in the stadium are closed.