Could a current Gamecock fill the speedster role in Mike Bobo’s offense?
Throw on the video of Mike Bobo’s offense in his final year at Colorado State, and a smaller player just seems to pop off the screen.
At only 5-foot-9, Dante Wright could get the ball and go. Sometimes it was screens. Sometimes he got the ball on jet sweeps, averaging more than 12 yards a carry. He ended up with five catches of 50 or more yards, two longer than 70 yards.
Bobo is now in charge of South Carolina’s offense. He’s inheriting a depleted receiving group, but he does have one proven burner.
“Shi (Smith) has that kind of of ability and speed,” Bobo said after South Carolina’s last practice this spring. “Shi is probably faster than Dante. But we don’t have that guy right now. We’re still trying to figure it out really.”
Smith, a senior who has started most of the past three seasons, is in many ways the only proven receiver the team has. He didn’t take the step some expected last season, but still delivered 489 yards through the air, albeit on a career-low 11.4 yards per catch.
The issue in trying to make him that threat to take handoffs and go is the Gamecocks might need the veteran in another role.
“Shi is probably, you know our best deep threat,” Bobo said. “So I don’t know if I’m going to be using him in all the speed sweeps too, so, there’s a lot of things that we got to do and, hopefully, we can find some guys when we get our other guys in here that are going to help.”
The players he was talking about are Ger-Cari Caldwell and Rico Powers, who have yet to enroll. Powers was a wingback in an option offense earlier in his college career.
Another option could be Dakereon Joyner, a former quarterback the team had run sweep plays at points earlier in his career. Bobo also said the offense might not have that sweep element if the right players don’t emerge.
Smith said he has been working both inside and outside and tried to pick up some lessons from Deebo Samuel and Bryan Edwards. Smith also said some of the timing was different with more under-center plays in Bobo’s scheme.
“I love his offense,” Smith said. “It’s a more pro-style offense, and I mean, everybody is touching the ball and we’re just having fun.”
This story was originally published May 9, 2020 at 7:00 AM with the headline "Could a current Gamecock fill the speedster role in Mike Bobo’s offense?."
