5 story lines for South Carolina football in 2017

Five things to watch in 2017 for South Carolina football:

BENTLEY’S RISE

The Gamecocks found their quarterback of the future in Jake Bentley, who threw for 1,420 yards and nine TDs in seven starts. He completed more than 65 percent of his throws and had just four interceptions, two coming in the bowl loss to South Florida. Count on Bentley solidifying a spot that’s been a question mark entering the previous two seasons.

MOORE’S RETURN

South Carolina’s best defender, linebacker Skai Moore , missed all this past season after neck fusion surgery. He’s been cleared for some activities and is on track, coach Will Muschamp says, for a strong return next fall. Whispers persist that Moore, who led the team in tackles his first three seasons, is considering the NFL. But Muschamp said Thursday that Moore plans to finish his college career with the Gamecocks.

SOUTH CAROLINA RECRUITS

Muschamp and his staff are completing what’s right now ranked a top-20 incoming recruiting class for February’s signing day. He’s already signed one-time Clemson cornerback Kaleb Chambers and is beefing up the offense with two of the state’s best players in receivers OrTre Smith of Wando and Shi Smith of Union County.

YOUNG WEAPONS

Bentley is not the only rising young player on offense. Receiver Deebo Samuel, a sophomore, had 14 catches for 190 yards and a touchdown against South Florida. Tailback Rico Dowdle, a freshman, ran for 764 yards despite playing just nine games as he recovered from sports hernia surgery. Freshman receiver Bryan Edwards had 44 catches and a team-high four TD receptions. “It’s going to be a fun year next year,” tight end Hayden Hurst said.

OFFENSIVE LINE COACH

The last official tie to the Steve Spurrier era left earlier this month when offensive line coach Shawn Elliott, the interim coach in 2015 after Spurrier quit, became the Georgia State head coach. Muschamp used retired, longtime line coach John Latina to get through bowl workouts and has said he’ll take his time with the next hire. Whoever gets the job will have a deep, talented, experienced group coming back.

This story was originally published January 2, 2017 at 2:34 PM with the headline "5 story lines for South Carolina football in 2017."