Spurrier Deals With Off-Field Issues

 Send This Story To A Friend

The table is set for South Carolina.  Traditionally the fourth best team in the SEC East, the Gamecocks will have a more mature team — and the East’s most experienced quarterback — when play opens in the fall.

More importantly perhaps is the turmoil bubbling at the three schools historically ahead of USC in the East Division:

1.  Florida — New quarterback, several new starters, several new assistant coaches, and a head coach who’s supposed to take some time off at some point.

2.  Georgia — New quarterback, almost an entirely new defensive coaching staff.

3.  Tennessee — New quarterback, four out of five new offensive linemen, several new assistants, and a new head coach who is the polar opposite of the last guy.



So with the door apparently open for Carolina to finally emerge as a player in its division, it’s disappointing that the Cocks’ offseason has begun with bad news:

1.  Defensive end Clifton Geathers jumped to the pros early.

2.  Backup quarterback Reid McCollum has now left the team and wants to transfer.

3.  Starting tight end Weslye Saunders has been suspended for missing the first team meeting of the spring semester.

With the traditional powers in the East dealing with their own issues, all Carolina needed was to keep things nice and quiet this spring and summer. 

So much for keeping things nice and quiet.