The Gamecock rewind
In this weekly feature, GamecockCentral.com gives USC fans an in-depth summary of everything that took place in the world of Gamecock athletics over the past week. At GamecockCentral.com, we provide fans with in-depth, insider coverage. Whether it's press conferences, games, breaking news, analysis, answering your questions, or delivering inside information you will not find elsewhere, we work hard to keep your finger on the pulse of of your Gamecocks.
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Here's the latest on Carolina athletics...
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FOOTBALL
In a well-deserved move, sophomore tight end Hayden Hurst was placed on scholarship by head coach Will Muschamp last week. Hurst is a projected starter for the Gamecocks at tight end.
GCC insider Wes Mitchell wrote about how Muschamp's recent moves - such as organizing a flag football contest prior to the spring game - has embraced alumni of the program. Additionally, Mitchell discussed one veteran defensive tackle's ascension on the defense.
Scoop on some personnel moves within the team - such as how Bryson Allen-Williams will be utilized this season - and talk about Marcus Lattimore's role with the team was in Mitchell's Carolina Confidential.
Erroneous reports surfaced in recent days regarding Will Muschamp's months-old move to make a change within his spiritual development program. The Gamecocks' head coach took some time to clear up the misinformation and speak regarding how he plans to expand that department.
Following the spring, USC also released an updated depth chart. Wes Mitchell broke down what some of the moves mean going forward and cleared up some of the questions that came up after the information was released.
Muschamp also cautioned against reading into the depth chart too heavily, while also breaking down some of USC's top performers, shedding light on the quarterback race at this point, and more.
USC unveiled the "Boom Bus", the vehicle that will take Will Muschamp to stops on his spring "Spurs Up Tour" to speak with Gamecock supporters.
Wednesday night represented the first stop on the spring tour, with a speech to a large group from the Midlands inside "The Zone" at Williams-Brice Stadium. USC's head man talked about what he hopes to accomplish as a program and talked personnel in this recap.
USC's game one opponent for the 2016 season is Vanderbilt, a program that recently wrapped up spring practice. What do USC fans need to know about the Commodores now that spring ball is over? GCC insider wrote about it in this piece with help from a Vanderbilt football expert.
Finally, longtime Gamecock fan and GCC subscriber Scott Davis provided a humorous look at how he's itching for football again, breaks down his favorite assistant coach on the staff, the optimism of spring, and more.
Of course, our team was available day and night all week to answer your questions on The Insiders Forum, our subscribers-only message board that holds a large community of Gamecock fans. More news, scoop, and discussion on the Gamecocks? Find it there every day.
RECRUITING
Several new prospects picked up Gamecock offers, and last Friday's Insider Report broke them down in full. The group included a 2018 quarterback from Alabama who is currently committed to North Carolina, a junior college defensive lineman, plus a wide receiver who was committed at one time to Georgia when USC assistant Bryan McClendon was in Athens.
A former Georgia DB - who tallied four tackles against South Carolina last season - is now a junior college prospect and picked up a scholarship offer recently from the Gamecocks. What's the word?
The Rivals Camp Series presented by Under Armour stopped in Charlotte last Sunday, and GCC was on hand to scout a host of Gamecock targets and gather info on their recruitments. Chris Clark brought a packed update with loads of info and exclusive scouting notes on several prospects, including in-state priorities and four-star targets.
Four-star WR OrTre Smith recently spoke with us and broke down his last trip to Columbia, USC's chances with him, and more.
A West Virginia product who visited Auburn when Will Muschamp was on staff there is now hearing from South Carolina. Is the four-star interested in USC? He breaks it down here.
Another in-state target ranked as a four-star prospect, Lake Marion's Davondre Robinson, keeps things fairly quiet on the recruiting front. He did lend a bit of insight into his recruitment that you may find interesting here.
A Tennessee DT who was a standout during one-on-ones during the RCS in Charlotte is planning to visit at the end of this month. Can Carolina make a move to overtake Duke and Tennessee?
One of USC's top targets - an athletic tight end out of Charlotte - plans to reveal a decision soon. He spoke with us about the upcoming choice here.
Virginia athlete Tahj Capehart has never been on USC's campus, but that's set to change soon. What position is USC recruiting him for and what does he know about the program? More here.
A DE out of Garner, North Carolina - a program that has produced a few past Gamecocks - shook up a previous lead group once the Gamecocks offered. He discussed his interest in USC and offered thoughts on Will Muschamp here.
Other leftover notes from the week on the recruiting front, including more insight into OrTre Smith, Tre Lawson, a prospect on commitment watch, and more in Carolina Confidential.
USC is hoping to flip a four-star prospect currently committed to the North Carolina Tar Heels. How are things going in those efforts? He breaks it down with us here.
Muschamp extended an offer personally to the son of former USC DL coach Deke Adams, Jordyn Adams, on Wednesday. The in-state 2018 athlete went on record with what the offer means to him.
In-state defensive lineman Tre Lawson is one of the more entertaining prospect interviews on the market. But does he have a school in mind in the recruiting process?
2018 DT Josh Belk is a man of few words, but GCC squeezed a few notes on out of the big man on his recruitment and schools he has interest in here.
A linebacker out of North Carolina who tallied over 100 tackles as a junior and speaks to a Gamecock assistant on a regular basis is planning a visit in the near future.
Big news happened on Thursday when USC extended an offer to Upstate QB Jay Urich - he discussed the scholarship he had been waiting on here.
In-state speedster Austin Connor has accelerated his decision timeline. What does that mean with offers in hand from Georgia, South Carolina, Tennessee, and others?
An in-state DT from Saluda picked up an offer from South Carolina on his birthday this week. He grew up liking Clemson, but what kind of impression did USC make? What's the scoop on him?
USC has one touted prospect from Mallard Creek in Charlotte committed in OL Eric Douglas. Will his teammate, TJ Moore, join him? He's slated to be on campus soon and discusses USC here...
In-state pass-rusher Brad Johnson has been a priority for USC for some time. What's he thinking on a decision date now? What other programs are in the mix?
An Upstate OL is the newest recipient of a Gamecock offer, and UNC/Tennessee have also extended scholarships to him. He spoke with GCC about the Gamecocks in this story.
BASEBALL
USC matched up for another SEC series against the Georgia Bulldogs beginning last Friday, with the Gamecocks dropping two of the three games on the weekend. Clarke Schmidt was dominant in a game one win, accumulating 10 strikeouts in a 3-1 victory.
In game two, Georgia's bats heated up as the Dawgs accumulated 19 hits and a season-high 13 runs en route to an 11-run win over the Gamecocks. The rubber match was another disappointment for USC, with Carolina pitchers surrendering four home runs and dropping the game by a final of 5-3.
USC rebounded with a midweek blowout of Furman by a final score of 14-4 on Wednesday. Chad Holbrook shuffled his lineup in advance of the contest.
Chad Holbrook held a press conference on Thursday in advance of USC's weekend series with Missouri. Find out what Carolina's head coach had to say about the series here. Holbrook noted that Missouri is struggling, but USC is still wary of the Tigers.
On the baseball recruiting front, get bios on USC's 2016 recruiting class from GCC's Collyn Taylor right here.
2016 pledge Josh Gregory is ready to try to make an impact next season - which he discusses with Collyn in this piece.
BASKETBALL
Dawn Staley recently met with media to put a bow on last season, discuss next season's roster including the impact of a couple transfers who sat out this year, and much more. Get it all in one place here.
A junior college guard who is adept at scoring (39 percent from 3 point range, 86 percent from foul line) committed to Frank Martin this week. Get the skinny on Hassani Gravett here.
In addition to a visit from eventual commitment Gravett, USC also hosted 7-footer Khadim Gueye out of Florida as well as Delaware transfer guard Kory Holden on official visits this past weekend.
USC offered a 7-foot-1 big man from the Pee Dee area recently, and his former coach spoke with GCC to give the scoop on his game and the recruiting process.
OTHER SPORTS
All 19 USC sports posted an APR (Academic Progress Rate) of 950 or better for the fifth consecutive year. Nine teams - baseball, men’s basketball, women’s basketball, men’s tennis, women’s soccer, women’s cross country, men’s golf and volleyball - posted a perfect single-year score or the 2014-15 campaign. Additionally, women’s soccer made a single-year jump of 45 points from 955 in 2013-14 to 1000 for the 2014-15 campaign. Men’s golf single-year score rose 28 points to 1000 and football single-year score rose 25 points to 980. Men’s tennis, women’s basketball, women’s cross country, and volleyball all registered a single-year score of 1000 for the second straight year according to USC.
BEACH VOLLEYBALL - USC beach volleyball earned the No. 5 seed in the inaugural Coastal Collegiate Sports Association (CCSA) Beach Volleyball Championship. The event is slated to begin on Friday, April 22 at the Lakepoint Sporting Community in Emerson, Ga. The Gamecocks closed out the regular season with an 18-13 record, including a 5-5 mark in conference play. The eight-team field will be divided into two four-team pools to begin the Championship. The top three teams in each pool will advance to the knockout phase, with each pool’s winner earning a bye into the semifinals. The Championship Match on Sunday, April 24, will be broadcast live on ESPN3 at 1:00 p.m. EST. Joining the fifth-seeded Gamecocks in group one are first-seeded Florida State, fourth-seeded Louisiana State and eighth-seeded Alabama at Birmingham. South Carolina will begin pool play on Friday morning with UAB, followed by an afternoon match with FSU. South Carolina will finish pool play on Saturday morning with LSU. Group two consists of second-seeded Georgia State, third-seeded Florida International, sixth-seeded Florida Atlantic and seventh-seeded Tulane. (per USC)
SOFTBALL - USC (32-13) lost 6-4 on Tuesday night to Georgia Southern (26-19). USC's Saturday game has been moved to 5 p.m. EDT at Carolina Softball Stadium at Beckham Field. The SEC Network will still provide the broadcast.
TENNIS - Junior Caroline Dailey of the women's tennis team and sophomore Thomas Mayronne of the men's tennis team were both named to the conference's Tennis Community Service teams.
USC will be hosting the 2016 SEC men's tennis tournament this year from April 20-24.
GAMECOCKCENTRAL RADIO - PODCASTS
Kip Bouknight previews another important SEC series as USC is set to take on Missouri.
Chris Clark discusses how the newly released USC depth chart does not tell the entire story of the Gamecock roster.
Despite dropping two of three to UGA, former USC pitching great and GCC staffer Kip Bouknight breaks down how the Gamecocks are still in prime position.
Wes Mitchell brings further insight into USC's pursuit of top in-state prospects in this edition.
Discussion on running back depth and the NCAA's decision regarding Marcus Lattimore with Wes Mitchell and host Emerson Phillips here.
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