5 curiosities for USC football that will get big attention this spring
College football, with its low ratio of actual games vs. time spent thinking about games, offers a particularly large canvas for unknowns.
Whether it be an offensive line that has experience but needs to play better, or trying to figure out if a player‘s talent is ready to translate to production in the coming season, there are always curiosities before a team actually gets to the point of playing a game.
And the South Carolina football team has plenty of curiosities coming into 2020 spring practice.
It’s worth looking closer at some of the more quirky unknown attributes or areas for this Gamecocks squad.
Ryan Hilinski’s knee
After two pretty impressive first games in 2019, things were never quite the same for the four-star freshman signal-caller. An elbow issue caused some problems for a few weeks. And against Georgia a defensive lineman went hurtling into the side of the QB’s knee, delivering what turned out to be a partially torn meniscus. Hilinski played the rest of the season on that knee, turning in some uneven performances while being clearly hobbled in most games. It’s a complete unknown just how much that injury limited his efficiency and affected his throwing. His work in the spring should give some hint as to how much he has bounced back.
Dakereon Joyner’s pass catching
Fate was not particularly fair to Joyner last season. Less than a week after he started the transition from quarterback to wide receiver Jake Bentley got hurt, putting Joyner in a position where had to split time between positions. That was in addition to dealing with a hamstring injury. He showed some pop as a receiver and will finally get a full offseason and spring practice to try to learn a position he had never really played before college. For a team short on proven receivers, his skills could provide a boost as much as any of the other candidates. It’s just a matter of whether or not that potential can translate.
Zacch Pickens’ growth
The former five-star and top-10 national recruit played a good bit last season, but his production was more workman-like than dynamic. He no longer has Javon Kinlaw in front of him in the rotation, or Kobe Smith for that matter. For a man his size, he possesses uncommon quickness and explosiveness, but his challenge will be accelerating along the learning curve and becoming the kind of force his talent suggests he could be. It’s likely the team will rely on him to be that anchor and disruptor in the middle, and in the coming weeks he will have the chance to show what kind of jump he’s made.
MarShawn Lloyd’s first impression
Fresh out of high school, Lloyd stepped on to South Carolina‘s campus as the most talented running back on the roster. By all accounts, he’s got that something you look for in a tailback — he’s shifty, explosive and powerful, and he needs to be. Based on his ability alone, he should be in the mix for the starting job, or at least a heavily-used backup role. The place to start earning a top job is this batch of practices.
Cam Smith’s build
South Carolina had more than a few blue-chip freshmen not see significant roles last season, and Smith‘s absence was one of the most notable. A tall and fast late riser in the recruiting process, he showed well in all-star settings but also looked on the skinny side when he was on the sidelines last season. His development was set back when he missed spring semester because of an early enrollment snafu. If an off-season in the weight program and a full year under his belt have helped him fill out, he is a candidate to make some noise in the spring and compete for the open starting job in the Gamecocks secondary.
This story was originally published February 21, 2020 at 5:00 AM with the headline "5 curiosities for USC football that will get big attention this spring."
