The dominance and leadership that sophomore wide receiver Bryan Edwards has brought to the South Carolina football team the past two years has been electrifying.
However, Edwards has by no means fully developed as a player or reached his full potential on the field. This past Saturday at the Garnet & Black Spring Game, the pace of the offense was put to the test. Edwards was able to get a feel for his run game and show what he is planning on bringing into this upcoming season.
"I mean definitely a preview," Edwards said. "I still got a lot of room for improvement, you know I dropped a pass today, but it is definitely a little preview of what I can do."
This 6-foot-3 Gamecock felt very confident in his performance Saturday and looked to connect with other offensive players, especially some of the newer additions. He believed that the offense was able to execute on big plays and secured numerous touchdowns as a result.
"I feel good about it," Edwards said. "The faster we go, the more points we score. We ran it pretty good today. There is always room for improvement, we can always go faster."
The confidence does not end with Edwards himself. Head Coach Will Muschamp has trusted Edwards' physical strength as a player throughout the past two seasons and is continuing to rely on Edwards' leadership going into his third season as a Gamecock.
"I would probably say that's a really good football player," Muschamp said. "That's a difficult guy to cover especially down the field. He's really strong at the top end of catches. He gets his hand on the ball. He attacks the football down the field, which he did on our sideline against Rashad."
Not only does Muschamp rely heavily on Edwards offensive performances, so does quarterback Jake Bentley. The two came into the program at the same time, which allowed them to connect on their journeys together at South Carolina.
The chemistry between both Bentley and Edwards has been demonstrated throughout this past season, and it continues to grow.
"I think it's just time," Bentley said. "I think it's getting thrown into the fire together our freshman year and just battling through the hard times and having some good things to happen. I think it is just a trust factor. I know exactly where he's going to be on every play. I think it is just over time building that relationship, that chemistry and it has just been real good for us and continue to grow that during the summer and into fall camp."
Edwards' abilities as a player can only go up from here as preseason workouts and practices start up for the 2018 season. Muschamp will be looking to Edwards to test the waters and see what he else this unmatchable receiver has to bring to the table.
"He is a guy that is continuing to improve and get better and better, and it's been a good spring for him," Muschamp said.
With his first two years in the books and spring practices rounding out, fans have a lot to be excited about with Edwards as he looks to continue as a playmaker and leader for the Gamecocks come August.