Muschamp, Gamecocks seek improvement
COLUMBIA, S.C. — South Carolina coach Will Muschamp is tired of dwelling on his team’s struggles.
This season might make that even harder not to do.
Muschamp starts his fifth season with the Gamecocks desperate to get his team headed back in a positive direction. He led South Carolina to a pair of winning seasons in 2017 and 2018 before last year’s disastrous 4-8 campaign that included losses in five of its last six games.
Adding two more SEC teams — in South Carolina’s case, Auburn and Ole Miss — to a schedule that already included top- 10 opponents Georgia, LSU and Florida is not likely to help get back on the winning track.
Muschamp is tired of the negativity some have voiced about his program’s direction. He believes his team has put the past in the past and is poised for improvement.
“We’ve made changes and I think we’ve made the right
changes,” Muschamp said. “You can continue to bring up the negativity of it, or you can be constructive and learn what you’ve got to do.”
Last year’s flop led Muschamp to overhaul the staff, including bringing in his third offensive coordinator in five seasons after exColorado State coach Mike Bobo took over for Bryan McClendon, now the passing game coordinator with Oregon.
In all, South Carolina changed five on-field assistants, its strength and conditioning coach, and its directors of player personnel and player development.
Muschamp liked how the new group worked with players in the five spring sessions South Carolina had before the coronavirus pandemic shut down athletic activities last March. He believes that bond continued to grow since workouts resumed in June and into fall camp.
The coach has been pleased with how his players have taken to the bubble-like environment brought on by the global pandemic.
“I choose to control what I can control and that’s in this building, trusting our players to make mature, responsible decisions,” Muschamp said.
For sophomore quarterback Ryan Hilinski, that meant diving into the playbook of new coordinator Bobo, also quarterbacks coach.
“We’ve got a new offense and it requires you to know the playbook in and out,” Hilinski said. “If you don’t know it, you won’t play.”
Hilinski was expected to play a backup, mop up role as a freshman last season. That changed when senior starter Jake Bentley was lost for the year with a foot injury. Hilinski had his own injuries last season including a meniscus tear in his left knee.
Hilinski said he’s healthy and prepared to move forward this season.