The Gamecock football team will have a new look this season. Literally. The team will debut new jersey, helmet and pant options, but those changes are superficial. The real changes can be seen in the coaching staff, the defensive and offensive schemes and especially the players on the offensive side of the ball.
Yes, the Gamecock defense will show all sorts of different alignments, blitzes and coverages, but at least it is bringing back players that South Carolina fans will remember from years past. The offense, on the other hand, will not only run different plays and line up in different formations, but there are several new players at prominent positions like quarterback and wide receiver.
Running back was one of the few positions that was supposed to be taken care of. David Williams, a redshirt junior, was expected to transition into the starting role in 2016. However, Williams failed to beat out the competition. Enter A.J. Turner.
“I'm a really competitive person. I don’t like to get beat at anything” Turner said, and that includes the race for starting running back.
Turner is listed at 5-foot-10 and weighs in at 195. Many commentators would say that Turner is too small to survive, much less thrive in the SEC, just don’t tell Turner that. The “undersized” running back plays with an unusually large chip on his shoulder, pasting snippets of negative comments about his ability or size that he finds online to his bedroom door.
Ranked by most recruiting agencies as a three-star prospect (Scout rated him as a four-star), Turner missed most of his senior season of high school due to a wrist injury and redshirted as a freshman last season. The 2016 season will be his first real action since he accumulated nearly 1,300 yards, 32 touchdowns and a state championship as a junior in high school.
Regardless of his measurables, Turner will be expected to make a big impact on the field. Coaches with inexperienced quarterbacks tend to lean on the running game. It’s Turner’s job to make sure they are handing the ball to a trustworthy player. Turner may even start building trust on the opening play as he is also expected to return kickoffs.
His first test is Thursday night.