Five questions (and answers) for Muschamp's media day
When South Carolina head coach Will Muschamp hits the SEC Media Days podium on Thursday, he'll face multiple questions from the media that South Carolina fans have likely already heard the answers to. Here's a look at some of those likely questions and the potential answers to them.
What did you learn during your Florida tenure and how does it feel to have a second change in the SEC?
This is a question that Muschamp got quite a bit when he first arrived in Columbia and has gotten over the last seven months or so as he speaks with various national media entities. It's only natural for Muschamp to be asked about his time at Florida and he'll almost surely here the question repeated a few times on Thursday. Muschamp's answer since arriving in Columbia has usually involved a quip around "scoring more points," and while that's a generalization and easier said than done but also an accurate statement. Muschamp has also taken steps to accomplish that. One of Muschamp's biggest issues in Gainesville, was the lack of a quarterback and he's made steps to fixing that by holding onto one four-star quarterback (Brandon McIwain), adding another (Jake Bentley) and landing a high three-star (Jay Urich) prospect. Muschamp has also allowed OC Kurt Roper the freedom to implement a hurry-up, no-huddle offense in practice. "Score more points" is the motto and Muschamp is taking steps to put it into action.
What's the latest on the quarterback race?
Speaking of the quarterbacks, Muschamp will almost surely get asked about them - probably multiple times. He's likely to say that it's a wide open battle, but that Perry Orth and Brandon McIlwain have a slight edge, I would guess. He also has made it clear that he wants to see what Lorenzo Nunez can do at the position since he wasn't healthy enough in the spring to get a full opportunity. Muschamp is also likely to mention Jake Bentley's bright future in the program. At the end of the spring, Muschamp said he wasn't sure how the quarterback position would sort out, but he seemed to feel good about the group he has and that the talent was there for the position to be solid in 2016. We'd expect to hear similar things on Thursday.
Which position group is the biggest concern for 2016?
It hasn't been a secret at all that the biggest area of concern for South Carolina is in the secondary, particularly at safety. Muschamp said it multiple times this spring and is likely to repeat that at SEC Media Days. Muschamp is also likely to point out that it's a position that he's personally going to coach and how he's looking forward to not only running the program but also coaching a particular position because he's a teacher at heart.
How have the returning players responded to the coaching changes?
South Carolina clearly had a number of transfers between when Muschamp arrived and now, but the "buy-in" among the players who have stuck around has been very strong and Muschamp will likely point that out. Muschamp has said that Steve Spurrier and staff recruited high character kids and he's likely to mention that as well. We've heard very high praise about the summer workout program that new strength coach Jeff Dillman has implemented and that the players have done what they can this offseason to buy into the major changes to the program.
What are the expectations for this season considering it's year 1?
Don't expect Muschamp to back down. South Carolina's new head coach has never lacked confidence and during Muschamp's spring tour to speak to various Gamecock Clubs, he didn't shy away from expectations, despite the reality, which is that Muschamp and his staff are going to likely have to rebuild the roster through recruiting in order to make it to Atlanta. "I don't look at long-term goals," Muschamp told a Gamecock Club gathering in April, according to the Times Free Press. "I am looking at this 2016 football season and trying to win the East and get to Atlanta. That is going to be our goal every single year that I am here, because that is realistic.
"That is where we ought to be. We ought to be competing to win the East."
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