South Carolina coach Will Muschamp didn't explicitly mention any plans to redshirt freshman quarterback Jake Bentley when asked about the scenario during his mid-week conference, but in all likelihood that is the path the coaching staff will take with the former four-star recruit.
Given the Gamecocks' current quarterback situation — specifically with Brandon McIlwain, who has taken the majority of snaps under center for the Gamecocks this season, lumped into the same class as Bentley — redshirting Bentley would make sense according to conventional football wisdom.
I don't expect Bentley to see the field this season, but I am not sure I believe in that line of logic — at least not in this specific situation.
Redshirting Bentley would enable the Gamecocks to develop a layer of class distinction between their two prized young quarterbacks. That artificial barrier is supposed to act as a security net to prevent one of their young talents from transferring.
But the concept of class distinction is kind of like a band-aid — it is only a temporary solution.
In 2017, when Bentley is a redshirt freshman and McIlwain is a sophomore, this issue isn't going to disappear, it is only going to be magnified. After sitting out a season Bentley is only going to be more ready to assume a starting role. And after taking his lumps as a freshman in the SEC, McIlwain will be looking to take the next step forward and solidify himself as the long-term starting quarterback for South Carolina.
Look no further than Texas A&M's quarterback carousel to see just how effective class distinction can be. In 2015, the Aggies possessed two elite quarterback talents in then-freshman Kyler Murray and then-sophomore Kyle Allen. Both were ranked the top player for their position out of high school in their respective classes. Both transferred following 2015.
Granted, Texas A&M got a pretty good consolation prize in Trevor Knight, but they still prove that class distinction is a myth. Unfortunately, there is no magic wand that will allow South Carolina to permanently hoard both of their quarterbacks. The best way to do that is to have a clear dialogue and roadmap between the coaching staff and both quarterbacks — and still, sometimes that isn't enough.
So with no way to guarantee that Bentley or McIlwain won't leave next year or even two years down the road, I think the focus has to be centered around gathering data about who will be the best quarterback for the Gamecocks at the end of the rebuilding process. You can only get so much of the data during practice reps.
When you have the opportunity to see Bentley in game action and to gauge his present and future abilities, I think you should take advantage of that opportunity. There is no guarantee of how much longer you will have it.
Whereas McIlwain is more of a dual-threat option, Bentley is more of your prototypical pocket passer. In terms of pure arm strength and upside, he leads the three quarterbacks in South Carolina's stables.
After South Carolina's most recent loss to Texas A&M, Muschamp expressed that his primary concern on offense is his team's inability to vertically stretch the field with the passing game. After McIlwain managed to accumulate a mere 34 passing yards through three quarters of play, senior Perry Orth did manage to give the Gamecocks a more vertical dimension to their offense.
With Orth, the concern has never been his ability to manage the game and sling the ball downfield, but rather the mistakes that could coincide with those attempts to push the ball down field. While Orth would certainly have an advantage when it comes to experience and game managing, I'm not sure that having Bentley under center would look much different.
There are pieces currently on this team and coming in the future that can develop a formidable pass-heavy air attack. Freshman Bryan Edwards has flashed the physicality and speed to be be a dangerous deep-ball threat. Four-star 2017 commit OrTre Smith also looks like he could fit that blueprint.
Bentley has all the raw ingredients for South Carolina to build that kind of offense around him. Time is such a limited resource in this game, and it would be a shame to waste it all because of something as arbitrary as class distinction.