South Carolina QB's Present and Future Have Targets, And That's a Nice Insurance Policy

  

    If you believe in the importance of star rankings when looking at college football recruits, then there is no doubt as to what the strength of South Carolina's  2012 recruiting class is. Catching the football.

    Four-star WR Shaq Roland. Four-star WR Jody Fuller. Four-star TE Kelvin Rainey. All have already given verbal commitments to Carolina. Four-star, ESPNU150 WR Malcom Lewis is still considering, as are four-star ATH Jordan Armstrong and four-star TE Kenderius Whitehead. Already in the fold? All-American Alshon Jeffery, speedy Ace Sanders, big target D.L. Moore, and company. The present and the future is looking good on the edges for the Gamecocks.

    Good quarterbacks are hard to find (and if you ask me, yes Stephen Garcia is a good quarterback--I'll debate you any day), so it's always nice to know that you have reliable hands to throw to. I used to be a Georgia Tech football season ticket holder. I was present for all three seasons that Calvin Johnson played at the Flats, and for the most part he single handedly ran the pass game. He had one of the statistically-worst four year starting quarterbacks in the history of major college football programs throwing to him, in Reggie Ball, yet still made a run at a Heisman as well as being a two time First Team All-American. Ball threw at a 48.5% clip with 55 interceptions in his career, yet Johnson created a reason to fear the passing game. My point? Reliable hands are insurance. The future at quarterback is unsure for South Carolina. Sure, everyone raves about Conner Shaw, but nobody can really tell what type of passer he'll be until the starting job is his. Having a solid core of wide-outs does wonders for the passing game. It makes a secondary keep a close watch on the passing game, no matter the reputation of the QB. It also opens up the run game even more, something the Gamecocks would have no problem with.

    I'm not speaking down on our future at quarterback either. I honestly believe Garcia is one of the top three quarterbacks in the SEC, and the depth chart has some talent as well. As mentioned before, Shaw is the clear cut backup and saw some opportunities to play last year (including a 4th quarter appearance on the road against the National Champion Auburn Tigers.). Also banging it out for a position on the depth chart are the talented RS FR Dylan Thompson and RS SO Andrew Clifford. FR Tanner McEvoy and someone I am very high on, commit Brendan Nosovitich, are also options for the future.  

     Obviously a combination of excellent hands and a talented quarterback is the best option, but in a league where it's hard to be a great quarterback it's always nice to know you have multiple guys who can catch difficult balls and make a defense respect the passing game. The roster is already loaded, and the class of 2012 will add some names to that talented core next year. The present is bright. The future is bright. It's a good time to be a Gamecock.