SEC Network analyst: Muschamp could bring South Carolina’s talent to historic high

When Will Muschamp arrived at South Carolina, he came promising recruiting was the central focus of the program.

SEC Network analyst Cole Cubelic thinks that will likely pay off soon enough.

“I’ve said since Will got the job and he brought Lance Thompson and he brought T-Rob (Travaris Robinson), got Bobby Bentley on the staff, that they will have more talent in Columbia, South Carolina, top to bottom than has ever been there before in 3-5 years,” Cubelic said.

So the five stars that powered Steve Spurrier’s glory years, the Clowneys, Lattimores, Ingrams, should start pouring in soon? Not exactly.

“You have to go a lot further than that,” Cubelic said. “I think the bottom 15-20 percent of that roster is going to be 10 times as talented as it’s been in a very long time. And that’s where Will and T-Rob and those guys are going to be able to improve things.”

The former Auburn lineman described it as an all-hands-on-deck approach, and in two seasons, the current staff has either added or turned over most of the skill positions.

That starts with Jake Bentley, who looks like one of the rising stars in the conference. This staff inherited Deebo Samuel, added Bryan Edwards, got Hayden Hurst back at tight end and developed him into a threat (Cubelic called him the SEC’s best returning tight end).

Cubelic has USC in his background, as both his parents went to school there. He sees a team with an offense ahead of its defense, a unit that had to play back last season and might be able to change that soon.

But more than that, he looked at Will Muschamp and his approach, looking at building a whole program.

That involves the Gamecocks’ improved facilities, improving support and building excitement. Cubelic name-checked Justin King, who has significantly raised the quality of South Carolina’s video and social media content.

“There is no doubt in my mind that program is headed in the right direction,” Cubelic said. “Will gets it from a big picture.”

This story was originally published August 31, 2017 at 3:20 PM with the headline "SEC Network analyst: Muschamp could bring South Carolina’s talent to historic high."