A closer look: South Carolina football’s play-caller gauntlet of 2019

South Carolina football coach Will Muschamp is generally regarded as one of the better defensive minds in college football. He and defensive coordinator Travaris Robinson will have some strong offensive minds to match wits with in 2019.

This summer, Saturday Down South released its list of the top 25 play-callers in the land. It’s a fun sort of offseason story, one that drives a little discussion as fans prepare for the season.

In the South Carolina corner of the Internet, there were a few tweets asking why Gamecocks offensive coordinator Bryan McClendon didn’t make the cut.

And that zooms past the most notable factor of the list.

Yes, McClendon in his first year calling plays oversaw a jump of just short of six points per game and 0.8 yards per play, vaulting USC to 22nd in the country in the latter category. But McClendon is only one year in, and himself admitted he hasn’t even fully installed his offense. Craft productive outfits in 2019 and maybe 2020, and he’ll find himself on such a list.

But the other guys on the list, there are a lot of them on the Gamecocks’ schedule.

Eight to be exact.

Aug. 31: North Carolina’s Phil Longo, No. 24 on the list

The Gamecocks got a look at Longo’s schemes last season when Ole Miss put up more than 600 yards and 44 points on USC in Oxford. He built strong units at Sam Houston State before that. His attacks are high-paced, highly efficient and relatively expensive, not afraid to attack downfield. He inherits a bad spot with how UNC has been the past two years, but there’s talent on-hand.

Sept. 14: vs. Alabama, Steve Sarkisian, No. 25

There’s been an up-and-down nature to Sarkisian’s history. He ran pro-style powerhouse attacks early on at Southern Cal. His later attacks have had pro-style spirit, but a lot of creativity from heavier spread sets. After the job with the Trojans came apart in a high-profile way, he had a less-than-great showing in one game replacing Lane Kiffin at Alabama, two years in the NFL where he produced productive offenses that at times seemed to be short of how good they could be and now he’s back in Tuscaloosa. The Tide offense has evolved across several coordinators, so it’s unclear what direction he’ll take it.

Sept. 21: @ Missouri, Derek Dooley, No. 23

This is a little high for a coach with one year of play-calling, but he stepped into a position with some room to fall and didn’t seem to do so. His arrival added a little more running to what had been a high-powered offense and turned the pace even higher. It’s unclear what his schemes look like after the Drew Lock-to-Kelly Bryant change but, like McClendon, he cleared his first hurdle.

Sept. 28: vs. Kentucky, Eddie Gran, No. 24

Gran is one of the underrated builders of an offense all across the sport. At Cincinnati, he oversaw a pass-heavy scheme with diverse running games. In Lexington, he created a downhill identity, relying on pistol running and power football. The team got a lot from Benny Snell, and he’s gone now, but Gran has proven adept at getting the most out of his talent.

Oct. 19: vs. Florida, Dan Mullen, No. 3

Speaking of getting the most out of talent, Mullen might be the master at it. His Mississippi State teams overpowered with a QB-centric running game. When he arrived in Gainesville, he took a passer who had been considered a bust and coaxed a 24-to-6 touchdown-to-interception ratio out of him, making a former pro-style passer a key cog as a power runner. He’s almost always able to construct competence with versatile schemes that make the simple and fundamentally sound feel complex.

Oct. 26: @ Tennessee, Jim Chaney, No. 14

Chaney is a bit of a wanderer and a high-grade chameleon in terms of styles. He ran Drew Brees’ basketball on grass Purdue offense, a productive power scheme under Bret Bielema at Arkansas, had an uneven tenure at Tennessee and most recently turned Georgia from a more pure pro-style team into an interesting attack with a lot of RPOs. That Bulldog offense was quite effective, though it bogged down in the red zone more often than it should have. He’s joining a team that was more on the downhill, under-center power mold last year.

Nov. 16: @ Texas A&M, Jimbo Fisher, No. 5

He’s been around long enough to have some ups and downs, but Fisher usually builds good, high-floor offenses that trend more pro-style than average these days. His first year in College Station saw the Aggies make a big jump in productivity, and there’s probably a bit more to unlock with Kellen Mond.

Nov. 30: vs. Clemson, Tony Elliott, No. 15

At the start, Elliott seemed to be a caretaker of sorts, inheriting the highly successful Chad Morris offense and keeping the show going. Entering Year 5 after Morris’ departure, the Tigers attack remains what it was: a talented, multiple, high-paced scheme that uses a range of RPOs to stress the defense all over. It’s an attack good at targeting talent mismatches and working them again and again.

So there will be few light weeks, few games when the USC staff isn’t matching one of the more gifted play-callers in the country. That’s life in the Gamecocks’ conference and with their rival and it means the defense will have a large challenge to face up to.