The top quality South Carolina coaches look for in outside receivers

South Carolina wide receiver coach Bryan McClendon looks for one core skill in his wide receivers that play on the outside.

It helps when they’re big, but plenty of big guys can’t do it. It’s not an isolated skill, but one that blends a variety of talents into one outcome.

“Outside, you’ve got to have guys that you’re confident can beat man-to-man,” McClendon said.

When healthy last season, the Gamecocks put their best man- coverage beaters in Deebo Samuel and Bryan Edwards out there. Samuel wasn’t the biggest, but he did the job. In 2017, with a couple additions, USC could have more guys that fit the mold.

USC is up to five wide receivers 6-foot-2 or taller. Edwards is all but guaranteed to return to a starting spot. OrTre Smith made quite an impression in an injury-abbreviated spring as an early enrollee. Chavis Dawkins got his feet wet as a true freshman, and incoming freshman Chad Terrell projects as a good leaper.

“I do think that guys like some of those bigger bodied guys can do it,” McClendon said. “I think it has a little bit more to do with the actual skillset that’s in the big body, outside just being a big body.”

Smith came in with the biggest body, weighing 219 pounds in the spring off an injury that ended his senior year in high school. He might be the most intriguing of the group because he’s more unknown than Edwards, but his ceiling as top recruit is still high.

Smith got to start the spring game and caught a bomb over a walk-on corner. If he emerges, possibly as a starter, it could allow Samuel to shift inside more.

Smith, Terrell and Edwards especially bring something McClendon prizes when it comes to beating man.

“You do have bigger guys that have the quick-twitch ability,” McClendon said. “That can stop and drop their weight and move and everything else and kind of create separation. I think those are the guys that are different.”

This story was originally published July 20, 2017 at 2:37 PM.