Gamecock coaches preach the importance of pad level. So what does that mean?

South Carolina football coach Will Muschamp will talk about “pad level” often when discussing where his younger players need to improve. At least a few of his assistants will mention it during their biannual chats with the media.

It’s an important part of how a player plays, but something most folks don’t notice in the flow of a game. So what exactly are we talking about here?

The short of it is players training so that more often than not, at the point of collision, their pads are lower than whoever they’re hitting, blocking or tackling. Being lower means leverage, usually means being a little more coiled and able to explode forward into somebody else.

But it’s something players don’t tend to start with.

“It’s not a natural movement,” running backs coach Thomas Brown said. “So obviously, guys that are used to running can just stand straight up and run really fast. In the game of football, if you understand leverage and angles, you can become a much better football player.”

For his backs specifically, it means having the upper torso close to parallel with the ground. The aim is not to bend at the waist but at the knees and hips.

For example, if a running back comes at a tackler with low pads instead of straight up, it gives the defender less to hold onto. Rather than wrapping arms around a straight-up body, they’d have to wrap around head, shoulders and backside, a near-impossible task without freakishly long arms.

“I don’t care if you’re playing running back, playing receiver, playing DB, playing linebacker, O-line, D-line,” Brown said. “Normally the guy with better pad level normally wins that battle.”

The USC coaches try to reinforce that stance with players working on drills under a large tarp or running them through small frames that force them to get low. Brown said that ideal stance starts with bent knees, a chest up and eyes straight ahead, able to finish at high speed.

All of that goes toward the challenge facing Brown and his backs. All three Gamecocks seniors, Mon Denson, A.J. Turner and Rico Dowdle, have had moments, but none grew into consistent, carry-the-load type runners.

Muschamp has registered disappointment several times with the group, specifically the inability to win more matchups in space where a back needs to throw a move or just run through a defender (he felt the offensive line often delivered the space needed).

Brown will be tasked with both recruiting a runner who fits that bill and getting some of the current backs better on that front. The solution isn’t particularly groundbreaking but the most solid ones rarely are.

“I think just being consistent every single day, making the most of every opportunity given to you when it comes,” Brown said. “On the field, off the field, and also when we have chances to win 1-on-1 in space, we’ve got to win.”

This story was originally published May 23, 2019 at 5:15 PM.