Take Two: Flood of problems
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Storyline: Steve Spurrier was a two-time All-American
quarterback, he won the Heisman Trophy at Florida, later coached the
Gators to tremendous success and basically revolutionized SEC football with the
"Fun 'N Gun" offense.
So why has the Head Ball Coach had so much trouble recruiting high-end
quarterbacks during more than a decade at South Carolina?
Since being hired in November 2004, the Gamecocks have landed only five
four-star quarterbacks, none who were rated higher than a 5.8 four-star (the
lowest rating in that classification) except for Stephen Garcia in the 2007 class.
The others: Chris Smelley (2006), Connor Mitch (2013),
Lorenzo Nunez (2015) and Brandon McIlwain, who is committed to
the Gamecocks in this recruiting class.
For Spurrier, who has earned the reputation of an offensive play-calling genius, the lack of quarterback
recruiting success is puzzling.
Of course, other SEC coaches are now pouncing on his age -- Spurrier is 70. And
it didn't help recruiting when at the end of the 2014 season, he said two or
three more years, instead of four or five, would be the right coaching timetable
into retirement.
South Carolina is struggling on offense this season. It slipped by North Carolina, 17-13, and lost to Kentucky, 26-22, last weekend. Mitch and Perry Orth have one touchdown pass each. Only one receiver (Pharoh Cooper) has more than six catches.
Spurrier has undoubtedly rebuilt South Carolina football into a player in the
SEC East. He's a phenomenal coach and play-caller. But quarterback has always
been a struggle with the Gamecocks under Spurrier and that doesn't seem to be
changing.
First take: "That team looks horrible," Farrell said. "
North Carolina beat itself with the turnovers. Kentucky goes in there
and wins. The comment Spurrier made about being there only three more years
really hurt recruiting because it was able to be used against him. Stephen
Garcia was his biggest-named quarterback who was barely a Rivals100 guy. In the
beginning, Jimmy Clausen and some of the really big-named quarterbacks
all mentioned South Carolina because of Spurrier's quarterback reputation. Here
it is almost a decade later and he just can't recruit quarterbacks."
Second take: "When Spurrier arrived in Columbia in 2005, many people
assumed the parade of four and five-star quarterbacks would follow,"
GamecockCentral.com staff writer
Scott Hood said. "However, for the most part, that has not happened. I believe
that is true for two major reasons. First, Spurrier is a perfectionist and not
the easiest coach to play for. He is not afraid to criticize players privately
or publicly. He demands a lot from his quarterbacks and he views them as an
extension of himself on the field. You have to be mentally tough to play QB for
Spurrier. Even though he was just a three-star prospect, Connor Shaw
flourished because he and Spurrier were on the same page in a lot of areas and
Shaw was a gym rat, so to speak, when it came to football. Also, Spurrier's
scheme is not cutting edge anymore like it was in the 1990s and the
proliferation of spread and fast-paced offenses has reduced the pool in terms of
quarterbacks talented enough to play for him. Spurrier has adjusted (see Shaw,
Lorenzo Nunez) by running some of that, but the heart of his scheme is still a
pro-style drop-back QB. There are just not many of those guys around anymore.
And most of them want to play in a fast-paced offense."
3. Ole Miss opportunity
has a lot of significant on-the-field storylines and is a crucial early-season
matchup. Recruiting plays a tremendous role in Saturday's game in Tuscaloosa as well.
Numerous top recruits will be in attendance -- the list provided by
TideSports.com is too voluminous to put in this piece but it's an outstanding
group -- and many others will be watching closely on television.
It's a chance for Alabama to pay back Ole Miss after losing in Oxford last
season. It's an opportunity to impress undecided recruits on both sides as the
Rebels continue to have a stranglehold on in-state prospects but the Crimson
Tide keep reaching in trying to take the top kids.
Three of the top six kids in the state of Mississippi are committed to Ole Miss
-- WR DeKaylin Metcalf (above), RB Justin Connor and DT Benito Jones. The Rebels' coaches are excellent recruiters and have had success in
keeping kids home.
But Alabama is trying to carve its way into the state and steal many of those
big-time guys. The Crimson Tide already has a pledge from four-star defensive
tackle Raekwon Davis out of Meridian, Miss., and four-star cornerback
Nigel Knott from Madison (Miss.) Germantown is a top target. He was
recently in Tuscaloosa and takes an official to Oregon this weekend. He'll
announce soon.
There will be a battle waged for Macon (Miss.) Noxubee County four-star
defensive end Jeffery Simmons, who has a top six of Alabama,
An Alabama win could help its chances with top Mississippi kids. But if Ole Miss
can win on the road, it could send a major message to kids in its home state.
First take: "This is important for both sides," Farrell said. "Everybody
thinks this is more important for Ole Miss because they can try to knock off the
juggernaut again but Alabama is recruiting the heck out of the state of
Mississippi. They're coming in there and trying to steal kids like crazy. For
Ole Miss, this is a chance to send a message that if they want to win a national
championship, they don't have to leave."
Second take: "It's definitely a big recruiting weekend in Tuscaloosa,"
TideSports.com Senior Recruiting Analyst
Andrew Bone said. "A lot of eyes are on this game for many reasons, and a high
number of elite recruits are expected for the Crimson Tide on Saturday. Alabama
will have top players like Jeffery Simmons and A.J. Brown in
town along with commitments Raekwon Davis, Cam Akers and D.D. Bowie from the Magnolia State. They will want to have a great showing against the Rebels to keep the recruiting momentum in their favor, especially for
guys like Simmons, Brown and Nigel Knott."
Adam Gorney
National Recruiting Analyst
Mike Farrell
National Recruiting Director
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