Freshmen Wonnum, Pollard catch Muschamp’s eye in early practices

Granted it’s only been two days of practice, but a few younger players have already made impressions on South Carolina's football staff.

“(Freshman defensive end) Dennis Wonnum is a guy that’s caught my eye,” coach Will Muschamp said. “(Freshman receiver )Kiel Pollard is a guy that’s caught my eye as a guy that’s mixed in well. As a matter of fact, both those guys are practicing in the early practice because of that. We’ve got some other guys that have got a great opportunity.”

Muschamp warned it was still early, and players haven't even put on pads, but joining that first practice means those two picked up enough to keep up with the veterans in how those sessions operate.

He also said freshman receivers Korey Banks, Chavis Dawkins and Randrecous Davis all looked good moving around, as did Jerad Washington, who missed all of last season with a broken leg.

Cooperwood out, Williams makes mark

Georgia Military College offensive lineman Akeem Cooperwood, a South Carolina football 2016 signee, won’t be joining the team, Muschamp announced Wednesday.

The 6-foot-7, 359-pound Cooperwood was still at GMC as of last month attempting to complete classwork. He becomes the only member of USC’s signing class to not qualify academically.

Muschamp could not talk about junior college cornerback Steven Montac, who was reportedly close to joining USC’s roster (so close his name appeared on it briefly). Muschamp did say North Carolina transfer and walk-on Ty'Son Williams was working with the newcomer group and had a good start.

“Very athletic, big body,” Muschamp said. “Good work ethic, very pleased in two days.”

New schedule

The Gamecocks switched to morning practices in Muschamp’s first year, and at this point, players haven't seen much downside.

Left tackle Mason Zandi joked he’ll get home at the same time, and there’s a little bonus at the start of the day, since practice replaces other early activities, such as lifting.

“It’s nice, I’m sleeping in,” Zandi said. “I sleep in til six o’clock now, instead of 4:30.”

Good news Nunez

There’s some growing pains to be expected with former quarterback Lorenzo Nunez transitioning to wide receiver. It’s only two days into fall practice, but he’s already impressed a former rival in the QB race.

“His performance from yesterday to today has been incredible,” senior quarterback Perry Orth said. “You can see him getting more comfortable out there. Everybody knows he can run, he can catch, and he’s explosive with the ball. He made a few good plays out there today. I think each day he’s going to get a lot better, and I think he’ll find himself in a very significant role playing out there.”

Nunez leaving the quarterback competition left Orth and early enrollee freshman Brandon McIlwain as the main options. But freshman Jake Bentley comes in with a pedigree that could push him into the conversation.

There might be a few steps between now and really getting into it.

“Jake, what you see in two days is that he’s a talented guy,” offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach Kurt Roper said. “He is an intelligent guy. He picks things up, but it’s still a brand new situation to him."

Getting lined up

The Gamecocks are having to shuffle things in the interior offensive line with starting center Alan Knott out after surgery. Sophomore Zack Bailey said he’s mostly worked at left guard, the spot he played in high school at Summerville, while Donell Stanley was the No. 1 right guard.

Guard Cory Helms, a former All-ACC lineman at Wake Forest, is filling in for Knott, with Stanley and Bailey splitting second-team reps.

That unit is the most experienced South Carolina has, with 34 starts under its belt, and Stanley admitted the group is under a little pressure to lead on offense.

“Expect a whole lot of us big guys,” Stanley said. “We’re the most important group on the field. We’ve got to make the holes, hold the blocks and give the quarterbacks and backs what we need to do.”

He also said freshmen Will Putnam and Chandler Farrell have picked up the system quickly.

Offensive coordinator Kurt Roper said he wants to have eight linemen he can rely upon, five starters and a reserve at center, guard and tackle. At the moment, the team is almost there, but Helms exited spring as a starting guard and second-string tackle.

Cramping up

A few of the Gamecocks got to deal with a time-honored tradition in college football: cramping badly early in camp.

Several came in from practice supported on both sides by staffers, moving gingerly and looking as if there were in pain. Some were moved to an ice bath, and Muschamp said this is a normal hump to get over at the start of practice. .

“They’ve got to eat before they go on the field,” Muschamp said. “That’s always a little issue for some of them. They don’t want to eat. They’re tired. Then you’ve got to drink fluids. That’s part of the deal, every year.”

This story was originally published August 3, 2016 at 1:04 PM with the headline "Freshmen Wonnum, Pollard catch Muschamp’s eye in early practices."