TrueGCFan
05-25-2006, 08:26 AM
By Tom Luginbill
Scouts Inc.
For fans and coaches alike, the coaching profession, at almost every level, is a "what have you done for me lately" proposition, where you are considered to be only as good as your last game.
However, in the eyes of high school prospects considering where to play football over the next four to five years, a coach's entire reputation, not just his most recent success or failure, can be a huge factor in the decision-making process. No other coach in America has that going for him as much as South Carolina's Steve Spurrier.
Players at all positions look at the commitment or signing of a top quarterback as a sign a program is headed in the right direction, as is the case with Jimmy Clausen at Notre Dame. It can cause a domino effect.
ESPN.com graded Spurrier's 2006 class as a C+.
Last year's class featured underrated signal-caller Chris Smelley, an accurate quarterback with timing and the ability to push the ball downfield off play-action -- all hallmarks of Spurrier's former successful quarterbacks. His 2006 class was marred and probably hampered a bit by some NCAA sanctions against the program, and so with the 2007 class looming, look for the Gamecocks to make a dent similar to what Ole Miss did in the 2006 class, with possible difference makers at several positions on both sides of the ball.
As it stands now, both of South Carolina's verbal commitments come from players who will probably make the initial ESPN 150 when we release it this summer. Both CB Gary Gray (Columbia, S.C.-Richland Northeast) and OT Quinton Richardson (Columbia, S.C.-Spring Valley) have chosen to stay in town, important gets because Clemson beat South Carolina on many kids last year.
But Spurrier's influence doesn't end at the state borders, and he is looking far and wide for another top signal caller. He has impressed Tim Brewster, Denver Broncos tight ends coach and father of highly-rated QB prospect Clint Brewster (Denver, Colo.-Mullen).
"When Steve Spurrier has interest in you, you are going to listen," he said. "Clint has South Carolina near the top of his choices."
Spurrier also hasn't forgotten how to recruit Florida, and he is trying to stake his claim to some of the state's top recruits. Stephen Garcia (Tampa, Fla.-Jefferson), a top Florida quarterback, has South Carolina as one of his top choices.
Said Gary Garcia, the prspect's father, "If Spurrier wasn't at South Carolina, we would not be considering them."
Wide receiver Dion LeCorn (Ocala, Fla.-Trinity Catholic) echoed those sentiments to the Gainesville Sun, saying "the biggest selling point South Carolina has is Steve Spurrier."
Many prognosticators who felt Spurrier was making a mistake by taking over the program at South Carolina have never actually been on the campus in Columbia nor ever been to a game. I have, and I can tell you first-hand that South Carolina has all the makings of a top-notch program and is a potential sleeping giant if the right person is at the helm. I believe Spurrier saw a diamond in the rough and jumped at the opportunity to build from the ground up.
The Gamecocks have great tradition, a loyal, unbelievable following, fantastic facilities and premier conference membership in the ever-so-tough SEC. Outside of an Alabama or a Tennessee, how many programs have proven that whether they are 11-1 or 1-11, 85,000 fans will show up to each home game? If it can be done at Virginia Tech, Wisconsin and Louisville, it can be done at South Carolina.
The big, glaring negative, though, is why no one has been able to elevate this program to elite status. There has been an 8-4 season here and there, and a 9-3 season once in a blue moon, but there have been few bowl wins and even fewer consecutive winning seasons in recent history.
That's where Spurrier comes in, and whether you love him or hate him, you have to respect his ability to recruit and coach the offensive side of the ball. This is the No. 1 reason why he was hired; forget all the antics, forget the ego, forget the weekly visor toss -- the bottom line is he has a proven history of not only winning, but winning in style.
I said on air on ESPNU last fall on several occasions that some upper-echelon prospects will now take a long hard look at South Carolina, particularly on the offensive side. Spurrier's proven history of tutoring quarterbacks into Heisman candidates has always been his big selling point.
With the surprising success South Carolina had on the field in 2005, coupled with several national television appearances, the stars may be starting to align for this program. With success on the field comes greater opportunities to be successful on the recruiting trail and vice versa, and right now Spurrier is carrying a big stick on that trail.
It only takes a few players in each class to turn a program around over a 5-6 year period, and if one of those players is a quarterback who ends up making a difference early on, then getting over the hump tends to be a lot smoother ride. He and his staff are going to take some lumps along the way on the field in the SEC, but each and every one of the coaches in the SEC knows South Carolina is a contender on the recruiting front because of one guy.
Tom Luginbill is the national recruiting director for ESPN's Scouts Inc.">Scouts Inc. He is a former quarterback, scout and coach.
Scouts Inc.
For fans and coaches alike, the coaching profession, at almost every level, is a "what have you done for me lately" proposition, where you are considered to be only as good as your last game.
However, in the eyes of high school prospects considering where to play football over the next four to five years, a coach's entire reputation, not just his most recent success or failure, can be a huge factor in the decision-making process. No other coach in America has that going for him as much as South Carolina's Steve Spurrier.
Players at all positions look at the commitment or signing of a top quarterback as a sign a program is headed in the right direction, as is the case with Jimmy Clausen at Notre Dame. It can cause a domino effect.
ESPN.com graded Spurrier's 2006 class as a C+.
Last year's class featured underrated signal-caller Chris Smelley, an accurate quarterback with timing and the ability to push the ball downfield off play-action -- all hallmarks of Spurrier's former successful quarterbacks. His 2006 class was marred and probably hampered a bit by some NCAA sanctions against the program, and so with the 2007 class looming, look for the Gamecocks to make a dent similar to what Ole Miss did in the 2006 class, with possible difference makers at several positions on both sides of the ball.
As it stands now, both of South Carolina's verbal commitments come from players who will probably make the initial ESPN 150 when we release it this summer. Both CB Gary Gray (Columbia, S.C.-Richland Northeast) and OT Quinton Richardson (Columbia, S.C.-Spring Valley) have chosen to stay in town, important gets because Clemson beat South Carolina on many kids last year.
But Spurrier's influence doesn't end at the state borders, and he is looking far and wide for another top signal caller. He has impressed Tim Brewster, Denver Broncos tight ends coach and father of highly-rated QB prospect Clint Brewster (Denver, Colo.-Mullen).
"When Steve Spurrier has interest in you, you are going to listen," he said. "Clint has South Carolina near the top of his choices."
Spurrier also hasn't forgotten how to recruit Florida, and he is trying to stake his claim to some of the state's top recruits. Stephen Garcia (Tampa, Fla.-Jefferson), a top Florida quarterback, has South Carolina as one of his top choices.
Said Gary Garcia, the prspect's father, "If Spurrier wasn't at South Carolina, we would not be considering them."
Wide receiver Dion LeCorn (Ocala, Fla.-Trinity Catholic) echoed those sentiments to the Gainesville Sun, saying "the biggest selling point South Carolina has is Steve Spurrier."
Many prognosticators who felt Spurrier was making a mistake by taking over the program at South Carolina have never actually been on the campus in Columbia nor ever been to a game. I have, and I can tell you first-hand that South Carolina has all the makings of a top-notch program and is a potential sleeping giant if the right person is at the helm. I believe Spurrier saw a diamond in the rough and jumped at the opportunity to build from the ground up.
The Gamecocks have great tradition, a loyal, unbelievable following, fantastic facilities and premier conference membership in the ever-so-tough SEC. Outside of an Alabama or a Tennessee, how many programs have proven that whether they are 11-1 or 1-11, 85,000 fans will show up to each home game? If it can be done at Virginia Tech, Wisconsin and Louisville, it can be done at South Carolina.
The big, glaring negative, though, is why no one has been able to elevate this program to elite status. There has been an 8-4 season here and there, and a 9-3 season once in a blue moon, but there have been few bowl wins and even fewer consecutive winning seasons in recent history.
That's where Spurrier comes in, and whether you love him or hate him, you have to respect his ability to recruit and coach the offensive side of the ball. This is the No. 1 reason why he was hired; forget all the antics, forget the ego, forget the weekly visor toss -- the bottom line is he has a proven history of not only winning, but winning in style.
I said on air on ESPNU last fall on several occasions that some upper-echelon prospects will now take a long hard look at South Carolina, particularly on the offensive side. Spurrier's proven history of tutoring quarterbacks into Heisman candidates has always been his big selling point.
With the surprising success South Carolina had on the field in 2005, coupled with several national television appearances, the stars may be starting to align for this program. With success on the field comes greater opportunities to be successful on the recruiting trail and vice versa, and right now Spurrier is carrying a big stick on that trail.
It only takes a few players in each class to turn a program around over a 5-6 year period, and if one of those players is a quarterback who ends up making a difference early on, then getting over the hump tends to be a lot smoother ride. He and his staff are going to take some lumps along the way on the field in the SEC, but each and every one of the coaches in the SEC knows South Carolina is a contender on the recruiting front because of one guy.
Tom Luginbill is the national recruiting director for ESPN's Scouts Inc.">Scouts Inc. He is a former quarterback, scout and coach.