There's a reason Will Muschamp's reputation precedes him as a defensive juggernaut in the coaching industry.

He won a national championship as Nick Saban's DC at LSU, revamped Texas against the run, churned out NFL prospects at Florida and he's passing the test in his toughest assignment yet at South Carolina, a place that was labeled a talent-deprived mess after Steve Spurrier's abrupt resignation.

Something clicked against Arkansas, a win that energized the Gamecocks and turned their defensive intensity up a notch approaching the back-half of the season.

Looking deeper at South Carolina's defense, six starters are having "very good" to "elite" seasons according to Pro Football Focus, the industry leader in individual players evaluations and film study. Linebacker Skai Moore and cornerback Rashad Fenton are the obvious headliners, but Chris Lammons and Dante Sawyer should also be in the All-SEC conversation and arguments could be made for D.J. Wonnum and Taylor Stallworth.

With as much pub as Fenton (Island) has received in recent weeks, it's time we dive into the raw numbers across the board and look at South Carolina's player-by-player defensive grades.

Here's how PFF rates the Gamecocks' primary defensive backs overall (have played at least 300 snaps):

Chris Lammons (86.4, elite)

Rashad Fenton (85.0 elite)

Jamarcus King (78.1)

D.J. Smith (76.2)

Jamyest Williams (46.1)

To further explain these grades, PFF's film gurus study every snap for every player from every game and grade accordingly across several categories — against the run, in coverage, as a pass rusher, etc. An overall grade of 85 is considered NFL-ready while 80-84 is very good.

Based on PFF College's positional rankings, Chris Lammons is the nation's 8th-best safety in coverage with an 87.0 grade, higher than players like Florida State's Derwin James and Texas A&M's Armani Watts. He's had a better season overall than Fenton in fact, and grades out as South Carolina's toughest defensive back against the run (80.6).

Fenton is college football's 42nd-best cover corner per PFF, but he's one of a select few not to allow a single touchdown pass over the last 1.5 seasons.

Jamarcus King's taken his share of criticism as South Carolina's worst defensive back in space, but the raw numbers say otherwise. Many of King's "bad" plays are magnified a bit because they've come in key situations — beat on third down late at Texas A&M and on slant route in red zone vs. Louisiana Tech — but he's been reliable for the most part as a near every-down corner.

RELATED: ESPN says South Carolina is Georgia' biggest threat in SEC East

Consistency's always been an issue with King, which is probably why he's been the most targeted player on defense this season (47 times). King's 12 forced incompletions is a team-best, but he has been called for pass interference or defensive holding a team-high four times (Fenton next with 3).

Still adjusting to the speed and nuances of the college game, true freshman Jamyest Williams has been below average in coverage (43.9 grade) but earns an 80.2 grade against the run and has played well in spots after filling an immediate need for the Gamecocks in certain packages. Asking a first-year player to be on the field for 342 snaps through his first seven games is a challenge and as Muschamp has said, Williams is learning on the fly.

Up front, South Carolina ranks fifth in the SEC in sacks (17) with basically the same players it had last season, a testament to the improvements made from a player development standpoint under Muschamp.

Sawyer has forced 22 total pressures, 13 hurries, five QB hits and accumulated four sacks in 140 pass-rush snaps — better numbers than Wonnum, Stallworth and Keir Thomas despite playing less total snaps. Wonnum's been a terror behind the line of scrimmage with 8.5 stops and is South Carolina's second-best graded defender against the run behind Sawyer (83.5, 25th-best nationally).

Here's how PFF rates the Gamecocks' defensive linemen overall (have played at least 100 snaps):

Dante Sawyer (88.5, South Carolina's highest-rated player, elite)

D.J. Wonnum (81.7, very good)

Taylor Stallworth (80.9, very good)

Keir Thomas (78.6)

Aaron Sterling (77.4)

Daniel Fennell (75.8)

Sawyer's 88.5 overall grade is South Carolina's team-best mark on defense since PFF began grading college players at the start of the 2014 season. From last season to now, Sawyer and Wonnum are the Gamecocks' most-improved players on defense under Muschamp with Wonnum making a jaw-dropping 31.5-point jump in overall grade from 2016 (50.2).

For linebackers, Moore's 87.0 overall grade is 17th-best nationally and his 87.6 grade in coverage is inside the Top 10 at his position. Moore is enjoying the type of season South Carolina has come to expect from the Florida native, a ballhawk and expert tackler.

Where the Gamecocks have struggled at the linebacker position is rushing the passer and in coverage. T.J. Brunson, who has played 448 total snaps (13 fewer than Moore) is rated 41.9 overall, among the worst defensive starters in the SEC. Brunson's been targeted 24 times in coverage and grades out to a 36.4, 339th among linebackers. In limited action, Sherrod Greene's been a bright spot against the run and in coverage.

Considering South Carolina's only 20 games into the Muschamp Era, the defensive overhaul is nowhere near finished, but strides have been made. The Gamecocks were laughable on that side of the ball in 2015, improved a bit last season and now are one of college football's most disciplined teams overall (31 total penalties is fewest in the SEC and fifth-lowest total nationally among Power 5 teams).

Obsessed with film study and doing your job, the implementation of Boom Ball is here and he's just getting started.

247Sports has an exclusive partnership with Pro Football Focus (PFF) to deliver advanced college football player data to fans on a dedicated new microsite. 247Sports will also utilize PFF stats and analysis, featuring grades of every player on every play of every game, across its industry-leading network of team-focused sites.

Reach 247Sports national analyst Brad Crawford at brad.crawford@cbsinteractive.com or on Twitter at @BCrawford247.