Ranking the Top 10 South Carolina football stories of 2015
It was a newsy year for South Carolina football, to say the least. Here’s our countdown of 2015’s biggest football story lines.
10. Shameik Blackshear’s year
One of the highest-regarded members of the 2015 signing class, Shameik Blackshear made news for the wrong reasons. The defensive end’s college career almost was derailed before it started by an offseason arrest and petit larceny charge in his hometown of Bluffton, but those charges were dropped. After recovering from a knee injury suffered in high school, he played briefly for the Gamecocks in 2015 but made little impact. Blackshear ruffled some feathers with in-season Twitter comments. He was then injured in a mid-December off-campus shooting.
9. Williams-Brice makeover
Williams-Brice Stadium will never be the same. Thanks to the generosity of USC alum Tami Springs Brooks and dozens of others, the 14-acre area underwent a $14.5 million beautification facelift. The trees, green space, bricked walkways and gates of the Springs Brooks Plaza are a far cry from the concrete, industrial-looking jungle from years past. And there’s a statue of USC great and Heisman Trophy winner George Rogers.
8. Roster departures
The year started and ended with some roster turnover. That’s normal. The changes going into 2015 were a little higher than normal, though. South Carolina had 11 transfers from the 2014 team and nine decommitments from the 2015 recruiting class. Running back Mike Davis declared early for the NFL Draft after the 2014 season, while juniors Pharoh Cooper and Skai Moore turned pro after 2015 ended. USC has had seven decommitments for the 2016 class, but one (receiver Bryan Edwards) rejoined the group.
7. Jon Hoke and the defense
There were eight new defensive coordinators in the SEC for 2015, with Jon Hoke taking charge at USC. He was officially the co-coordinator along with Lorenzo Ward, the 2014 defensive boss, but Hoke made the final decisions and called the defense during games. Steve Spurrier based much of his confidence in a defensive revival on Hoke, who was the defensive backs coach for the Houston Texans and Chicago Bears. The 2015 defense had moments of success but again finished last in the SEC in total defense (429.8 yards allowed per game).
6. Brandon McIlwain to enroll early
The biggest recruiting win for new coach Will Muschamp may already be in the books. USC has announced four midyear signees, including quarterback Brandon McIlwain. The two-sport star from Newtown, Pa., had a chance to stay in high school and test the waters of the Major League Baseball draft. He chose to stick with his longtime commitment to the Gamecocks and will play both sports in college. His decision was a much-needed jolt of momentum for Muschamp in his first month as coach.
5. Muschamp staff takes shape
Muschamp has seven of the Gamecocks’ nine on-field assistant coaches locked in, with a goal to have the full staff assembled before the final recruiting push in January. Kurt Roper will be USC’s offensive coordinator. Ace recruiters Bryan McClendon (co-offensive coordinator/receivers coach) and Travaris Robinson (defensive coordinator) are aboard. Offensive line coach Shawn Elliott was retained from the previous staff, and Gamecock great Marcus Lattimore will serve in a “life skills” role as part of football student-athlete development. Other additions include Coleman Hutzler (linebackers/special teams); Pat Washington (tight ends); and Bobby Bentley (running backs).
4. The QB shuffle
It was supposed to be the season Connor Mitch got the chance to show what he could do at quarterback, and it started that way. The redshirt sophomore led USC in the season-opening win over North Carolina, then was injured in the second game against Kentucky. He never saw the field again, even after being deemed healthy. Freshman Lorenzo Nunez started two games, including a win over Central Florida. Junior Perry Orth eventually settled in and started eight games, including the final seven of the season. Orth threw for 1,929 yards, 12 touchdowns and nine interceptions, and had a team season-long 66-yard run against Texas A&M.
3. A rough season
Silver linings were hard to come by, but South Carolina walked away from the mess that was 2015 season feeling good about its fight. “Our team fought to the very end,” interim coach Shawn Elliott said after a 37-32 loss to No. 1 Clemson. The team was competitive through five-straight season-ending losses (including a 23-22 loss to The Citadel). The Gamecocks had been bowl-eligible for 11 straight seasons, but that streak was snapped with a 3-9 finish in 2015. It all proved to be a harbinger to the end of the Steve Spurrier era at USC.
2. USC-LSU moved to Baton Rouge
Historic flooding in the state of South Carolina fueled the decision to move the Gamecocks’ Oct. 10 home game against LSU to Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge, La. The Tigers and the community rolled out the red carpet and welcomed the Gamecocks and their fans to town for the unprecedented Saturday in Death Valley. The Golden Band from Tigerland performed the USC alma mater. “2001” and “Sandstorm” were played. LSU pulled away and won the game 45-24. It wasn’t known just yet, but it turned out to be Spurrier’s last game as USC’s coach.
1. The coaching change
The winningest coach in South Carolina’s history is not the coach any more. Steve Spurrier, 70, stepped down Oct. 12, telling his team in an evening meeting that he was resigning immediately. He told the world a day later. “I think the team needs to hear a new message, a new voice, from another coach,” Spurrier said. Offensive line coach Shawn Elliott took over a team that was 2-4 overall and 0-4 in the SEC for the first time since its winless 1999 season. A search that lasted more than 50 days ended Dec. 7 when the Gamecocks announced a five-year deal that made 44-year-old Will Muschamp the 34th head football coach in school history. “We embrace the expectations of winning championships here in Columbia,” Muschamp said, “and that’s going to happen.”