The offensive side of the football has been where South Carolina has struggled the most since Will Muschamp took over for Steve Spurrier. It isn’t really known if this was to blame on former offensive coordinator Kurt Roper, but the 2018 offensive singing class has the potential to turn the tide. So far, the class has filled a lot of needs depth-wise, especially on the offensive line. Hopefully Bryan McClendon will be able to take full advantage of the players that decided to sign early.

Darius Rush

A South Carolina native, Darius Rush is one of those players who can just do anything. He played in SCHSL Class A while being a jack-of-all-trades for the C.E. Murray War Eagles. Rush has the potential to play offense or defense and be a returner for the Gamecocks.

I talked to the former War Eagle during his bye week this season and he said that he would be playing wide receiver, but he also has the potential to play defensive back. From watching his film, it’s easy to see he just makes plays. Rush is very agile and can turn it on at any point he wants. Being that he played in Class A, there is no telling if a lack of solid completion bolstered his stats, but I see potential as a solid No. 2 receiver for the Gamecocks.

Senior Season Stats: 988 APY, 18 TD

Dakeron Joyner

Dakeron Joyner could very well end up being extremely close to Michael Vick or Lamar Jackson in terms of a mobile quarterback who gets it done in the air when they need to. He’s going to sit behind Jake Bentley for two years — unless Bentley excels like crazy next year, or plays terribly and Joyner is forced into the starting position. I think two years of development for his pocket skills would be tremendous.

Joyner is an extremely raw talent, but has serious potential to go down as one of the best quarterbacks to play at USC. Joyner went 40-3 as a starter in high school, with two of those losses coming in the lower state class 5A finals against eventual state champion teams of Dutch Fork. He constantly makes huge plays on the ground and through the air, and he will always fight for the extra yards.

Senior Season Stats: 3,400 APY, 52 TD

Josh Vann

Seen as the next big-time wide receiver at USC, Josh Vann has the potential to be a viable deep threat early on. Vann is only 5-11, but he is an extremely smooth deep-route runner and constantly made plays downfield for Tucker High School in Georgia, the alma mater of Gamecocks defensive end Aaron Sterling. Muschamp said every player he signs from Tucker knows about, “work, effort and toughness, the things we value here in our program.”

Vann could be a day-one starter if not for South Carolina’s receiver core being so deep. He’s going to be stuck behind Deebo Samuel, Bryan Edwards Shi Smith and OrTre Smith for a year, which is obviously going to limit his production. I do think that when on the field, Vann will give Bentley the opportunity to take deep shots.

Senior Season Stats: 1008 APY, 13 TD

Jovaughn Gwyn

Just from his highlights, it’s apparent that Gwyn has the potential to be a starter just because of his ability as a pass blocker. While he is rated by most scouting services as a middle-of-the-pack 3-star recruit, Gwyn was a Nike Opening Finals invitee and was selected to the Shrine Bowl. His run blocking does need improvement — he just seems to let his feet get stuck in the mud sometimes. Gwyn is going to be a project player, but if he helps bring his teammate Quavarius Crouch to Columbia, the scholarship will have been well worth it.

Maxwell Iyama

Like many of the other offensive signees, Iyama has the potential to contribute early for the Gamecocks. Muschamp has made it a priority to get more athletic on the offensive and defensive lines, and that’s exactly what he referenced in his press conference when speaking on Iyama: “6-foot-5, 300-plus. Great frame, very athletic and just a guy with a tremendous upside as a player.” Iyama is going to be a starting tackle sooner than later.

Deshaun Fenwick

Fenwick is the bigger back South Carolina has been missing for a while. A slow 40 time at a camp a few years ago is the only thing that is keeping him from cracking a 4-star rating. At 6-3, 200 pounds, he will most likely have to wait until year two to crack the running back rotation just because of the amount of depth at that position.

The Brandenton, Fla. native was recruited hard by a bunch of other SEC schools including Georgia, so obviously his 3-star rating means nothing to college coaches. Muschamp stated that Fenwick was a really good pass blocker in the backfield, which is a quality that Gamecocks running backs have been missing in the last few years.

Senior Season Stats: 1,401 Rushing Yards, 17 TD

Hank Manos

Hank Manos was one of the earlier commits in the 2018 cycle and could end up being the day one replacement to Alan Knott. He’s a true center, but he did have to keep his weight at 275 because of his participation on Chapin’s wrestling team. On campus Manos is going to bulk up immediately and will likely be around 310 pounds by the end of his sophomore year. Manos was a Shrine Game and Under Armour All-American game particpant.

Lavonte Valentine

When the word speed comes up, Lavonte Valentine’s name is going to have to be mentioned. He ran a 10.66 100-meter dash and was reported as low as 10.41. His natural comparison is Shon Carson, who got limited touches but always made the most of them. I would assume the coaching staff is going to find a way to get him on the field as a returner, mainly because if Valentine got one open hole, it could very well be a house call.

Senior Season Stats: Knee injury early on, now fully recovered

Tyquan Johnson

Tyquan Johnson is one of the only players that will ever get to say they were a Gamecock on the high school and college level. He had 11 touchdown receptions last year in a predominately running offense, which is not something that happens often. With a three foot vertical standing at 6-3, Johnson is going to be able to win a bunch of jump balls. Most of his touchdowns came on 50/50 balls, which he obviously won a lot of. It will be exciting to see what this guy can do in a Gamecock uniform.

Senior Season Stats: 661 Receiving Yards, 11 TD

Wyatt Campbell

Being tough is a huge part of playing offensive line. Wyatt Campbell played through all of his senior season with a torn meniscus, which almost always requires surgery to repair. Campbell is very young, he just turned 18 and has the potential to grow bigger than his already large 6-5, 285 pound frame. The Lugoff native is another huge in-state win for Will Muschamp, considering he was a top ten player in the state of South Carolina and decided to stay home. Like most offensive lineman, I do think Campbell is another project player, but he will provide serious depth for the Gamecocks.