It didn’t take long for Will Muschamp to put a spark in the room.

Muschamp cracking jokes on all the Florida beat writers. — Armchair S. Carolina (@ArmchairSCAR) July 13, 2017

2016 Recap

His charisma was evident all day as he spoke about his football team Thursday morning. He opened talking about the 2016 team and the adversity which they faced. Last year’s Gamecocks started the season 2-4 before winning four of their next six and punching their ticket to the Birmingham Bowl.

Muschamp on 2016 team: "As proud as I've ever been of a football team." #SECMD17 — Armchair S. Carolina (@ArmchairSCAR) July 13, 2017

Offensive Fireworks

The offense is expected to be the strong suit this fall. The unit returns ten of eleven starters, including Sophomore QB Jake Benley. Muschamp echoed that sentiment, speaking highly of the unit, including his young gunslinger and veteran WR Deebo Samuel.

Muschamp says @JakeBentley19 and @Uno_Captain were both voted Co-MVP's by their teammates for their efforts last season. #SECMD17 — Armchair S. Carolina (@ArmchairSCAR) July 13, 2017

Youth & Inexperience

Similar to last year, South Carolina will enter the season very young at some key positions, especially on the defensive side of the ball. The Gamecocks will only return eleven seniors to the 2017 squad.

Muschamp: "We're still a very young football team. We only have 11 seniors." #SECMD17 — Armchair S. Carolina (@ArmchairSCAR) July 13, 2017

New Faces on Defense

The Gamecocks will rely on plenty of new faces on the defensive side of the football. Coach Muschamp stressed the importance of those young players getting on campus and developing as quickly as possible. The defense will get a major boost this season with the return of veteran linebacker Skai Moore. Moore redshirted last season with a neck injury and decided to return in 2017 for his final year of eligibility.

Muschamp: "Defensively, we have a bunch of unknowns…our 11th practice will be a scrimmage, will be D-Day for young guys." #SECMD17 — Armchair S. Carolina (@ArmchairSCAR) July 13, 2017

Who’s Stepping Up?

In addition, Muchamp has high praises for players such as D.J. Wonnun, Kiel Pollard, and Kobe Smith. The head coach says he will be counting on all of these guys to step up and be big contributors on his young defense.

Replacing Elliot Fry

Another key position the Gamecocks will be looking to fill is kicker. Elliot Fry, the all time leader in points at Carolina, finished his career last year. South Carolina should see a battle for the starting kicker position that goes deep into fall camp. However, Muschamp says he has a lot of confidence in RS Freshman Alex Woznick.

Muschamp on successor to PK @elliott_fry22 : "Alex Woznick to me has all the ability in the world, he just hasn't done it yet." #SECMD17 — Armchair S. Carolina (@ArmchairSCAR) July 13, 2017

No Slides Here

Muschamp took a bit of a subtle jab at the team in the Upstate when answering a question regarding the steps South Carolina is taking in improving their facilities, including their state of the art football facility that is set to be ready by fall of 2018.

Will Muschamp on facilities: "We don’t believe in bells and whistles but recruits do. They like to see shiny." #SECMD17 — Armchair S. Carolina (@ArmchairSCAR) July 13, 2017

Opening It Up

Gamecocks WR Deebo Samuel spoke on Thursday as well and had some interesting comments regarding the offense in 2017. Fans were noticeably frustrated last season due to the limitations on the playbook, some of the being due to inexperience at quarterback. Deebo made it clear the offense would be more open and explosive this fall and QB Jake Bentley echoed his words as well.

Deebo: I don't think coach Roper will want to play it safe. We want to be out there putting points on the board. — David Cloninger (@DCTheState) July 13, 2017

. @JakeBentley19: "Our mindset offensively is to score every time we get the ball. Everybody on our offense believes that." #SECMD17 — Armchair S. Carolina (@ArmchairSCAR) July 13, 2017

Overall, it’s clear that Coach Muschamp is very pleased with his program to this point and excited for year two at South Carolina. The offense should be a bright spot on a young team that is still looking to find itself on the defensive side of the ball.

. @CoachWMuschamp: "It's an exciting time to be a Gamecock." #SECMD17 — Armchair S. Carolina (@ArmchairSCAR) July 13, 2017

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