Projecting the Gamecocks’ depth chart for season opener
With 10 days remaining until South Carolina opens the 2015 football season, there are plenty of questions remaining about the Gamecocks. And they don’t stop at quarterback.
The Gamecocks are coming off a 7-6 season and looking to retool their defense, rebuild their wide receiver depth and put together a stable secondary, among other things.
Head coach Steve Spurrier’s decision to close most practices and the most recent scrimmage have made it difficult to know for sure which players will be in which spots when South Carolina plays North Carolina on Sept. 3, but we’re going to take a crack at a two-deep depth chart anyway.
Here are out best educated guesses about the Gamecocks rotation:
WIDE RECEIVER
Pharoh Cooper -- It’s been a deliberately quiet camp for the All-SEC junior. That will end when the season begins.
Jalen Christian – The 5-foot-9, 177-pound true freshman was a four-star high school prospect in Damascus, Md.
WIDE RECEIVER
Deebo Samuel – Redshirt freshman expected to be the team’s second-leading wide receiver this season.
Shamier Jeffery – Senior with eight career catches and one more chance for a big season.
WIDE RECEIVER
Carlton Heard – A senior and former walk-on, Heard has had an impressive camp, the coaches say.
Terry Googer – A big target, 6-4, the redshirt freshman still hopes to supplant Heard at this spot.
TIGHT END
Jerell Adams – The pressure is on for this 6-foot-6 senior to have a big season. He’ll get plenty of chances early.
KC Crosby – This versatile redshirt freshman could fill an H-back role, motioning from tight end to fullback.
TACKLE
Brandon Shell – A senior moving from right tackle, where he started the past three seasons, to the more marquee left side.
Christian Pellage – A 6-foot-6 true freshman the Gamecocks like but would rather not see in the top spot yet.
GUARD
Mike Matulis – A senior coming off two shoulder surgeries and one knee surgery, he hasn’t played since 2012.
Donell Stanley – A mammoth, 6-4, 320, redshirt freshman who still is learning the system.
CENTER
Alan Knott – A redshirt freshman who started eight games last year is on the Rimington Watch List as the nation’s top center.
Cody Waldrop – The 300-pound junior has had trouble staying on the field due to injury. Banged up again this fall several days.
GUARD
Will Sport – A senior who has started 12 games, he’s the least heralded of the front five but expected to have a solid season.
Zack Bailey – Another talented true freshman the Gamecocks would rather hold in reserve another year.
TACKLE
Mason Zandi – The 6-foot-9 junior is taking over as a full-time starter for the first time in his career.
Blake Camper – Joins Pellage and Bailey in a group of true freshman linemen who have Spurrier encouraged.
QUARTERBACK
Connor Mitch – Still hasn’t been named the starter and has three interceptions in two scrimmages, but the most likely to trot out there first.
Perry Orth – A junior who was given a scholarship this fall and must make quicker throws to make progress in competition.
RUNNING BACK
Brandon Wilds – A senior who had a 70-yard touchdown run in Saturday’s scrimmage and promised more were on the way.
David Williams – A former four-star prospect, the sophomore is trying to chip away at Wilds’ lead.
Defense
END
Gerald Dixon – A senior who missed the second half of spring practice and first half of fall camp due to a leg injury, he has started 12 career games.
Cedrick Cooper – A senior who looked like he was headed for a quiet career has drawn attention this fall.
TACKLE
Kelsey Griffin – An injury in Saturday’s scrimmage could derail his progress but the former four-star has potential.
Dante Sawyer – A junior college transfer who was shifted from defensive end to the three-technique position.
TACKLE
Gerald Dixon Jr. – A senior with 15 starts, he says the defensive line’s chemistry and confidence is much better than a year ago.
Phillip Dukes – The senior is a former four-star prospect with two career starts.
END
Marquavius Lewis – The linchpin of the defensive line rebuild, this JUCO transfer should bolster the pass rush immediately.
Darius English – The 225-pound junior has blossomed this preseason, looking like “an All-American” at times, Spurrier said.
LINEBACKER
Jonathan Walton – The 235-pound junior could be considered the team’s top linebacker by December.
Bryson Allen-Williams – After playing out of position at defensive end last season, back home at linebacker.
LINEBACKER
Skai Moore – Gamecocks’ leading tackler each of the last two seasons, the junior has started 13 games.
T.J. Holloman – The 231-pound junior will have trouble taking snaps from Moore but has had a good camp.
LINEBACKER
Larenz Bryant – Athletic and confident, Bryant could provide some pass rush help from the strong side.
Ernest Hawkins – A feel-good story who was out of football for two seasons, the sophomore is pushing Bryant.
CORNERBACK
Chris Lammons – A 5-foot-10 sophomore, he started seven games last year as a true freshman.
Chaz Elder – The junior is a former four-star prospect who has bounced from cornerback to safety and now back.
SAFETY
Isaiah Johnson – A transfer from Kansas, the senior started all 24 games he played for the Jayhawks the past two years.
D.J. Smith -- A 5-foot-11 sophomore who has played both safety and cornerback.
SAFETY
Jordan Diggs – One of Jon Hoke’s first moves was to switch Diggs from Spur to safety, and the junior looks like a fit.
Chris Moody – The junior who started seven games last year has had his name called a few times this preseason.
CORNERBACK
Al Harris – The 163-pound sophomore was second on the preseason depth chart but has made plays this fall.
Rico McWilliams – The 5-foot-11 junior was listed as the starter in the preseason and could have the spot on opening day.
This story was originally published August 24, 2015 at 6:44 PM with the headline "Projecting the Gamecocks’ depth chart for season opener."