Practice report: Gamecocks charting QB results

Steve Spurrier has embraced analytics.

Well, sort of.

South Carolina’s head coach is trying to pick a starting quarterback this month, and he’s compiling lots of data to help with the decision.

“We are charting everything,” Spurrier said. “We have turned into a bunch of charters out here.”

Gamecocks offensive quality control coach Brian Turk and graduate assistant Seth Strickland and taking copious notes during practice on the performance of quarterbacks Connor Mitch, Perry Orth, Michael Scarnecchia and Lorenzo Nunez, and the coaching staff will continue the charting after watching practice film each day, Spurrier said.

Completions, interceptions, it all goes in the chart.

“If he took a snap, should have thrown it away, things like that. Just general stuff,” Spurrier said. “We didn’t have to chart at all last year. We didn’t have to chart at all when Connor Shaw was here. When you don’t have guys who have played, chart it up and see where we stand.”

The four quarterbacks are splitting reps evenly at the moment, Spurrier said.

“They all did pretty good. Lorenzo Nunez got one out of four snaps, so he got the same as everybody,” he said. “He was running around, firing around. We think he’s going to be a very good player.”

It’s academic. Signees Toure Boyd (a junior college defensive back) and Devante Covington (a junior college defensive linemen) were not on the field for the first day of practice. Both are waiting to learn if they have met NCAA academic qualifying standards.

“That’s a good question,” Spurrier said when asked for the players’ status. “Ask somebody who knows.”

Boyd, from Chaffey College in California, said via Twitter that his junior college degree was official and said he was flying out of California on Tuesday. He is awaiting official admission from USC.

Covington, of Georgia Military College appears likely not to make it in, according to his coach.

“Unless a miracle happens, he’s not going to get one of his classes this summer,” GMC coach Bert Williams said. “I’ve got to get a final word from the staff there at Carolina and see what they would like to do and we’ll advise him from there.”

Sanders situation. Spurrier has not spoken to former Gamecock Ace Sanders since the announcement that Sanders is facing a 10-game suspension for violating the NFL’s substance abuse policy. The Associated Press reported that Sanders was cut last month after two years as a wide receiver with the Jacksonville Jaguars.

“That was a disappointing article in the paper today, but I haven’t talked to him,” Spurrier said.

Injury update. Defensive linemen Taylor Stallworth (chest) and Gerald Dixon (leg), offensive lineman Brock Stadnik (shoulder), tight end Connor Redmond (back) and cornerback Rico McWilliams (hamstring) did not practice or wore yellow, no-contact jerseys. Stadnik, who was listed as the second-team right guard entering camp, will not practice before the first game while recovering from shoulder surgery.

Indoor update. Dozens of laborers worked to complete the team’s new indoor practice facility as South Carolina conducted its first workout of the fall on the adjacent outdoor fields. School officials hoped the building would be complete by the first day of practice, and the team could make use of the field if weather dictated now, but parts of the exterior remain incomplete. The Springs Brooks Plaza around Williams-Brice Stadium remains on schedule for Sept. 12.

No pads yet. The Gamecocks were in shorts and helmets Tuesday. They’ll have one more day in shorts and helmets, then two days in shells (helmet and shoulder pads) before going to full pads on Saturday.

This story was originally published August 4, 2015 at 11:31 AM.