Who Will Be USC's Starting QB In 2012?
posted by Scott Hood, Friday, January 15, 2010
But short of a devastating injury or Heisman Trophy campaign by incumbent starter Stephen Garcia in 2010, we all know who will be calling signals for the Gamecocks over the next two years.
Garcia was heads and shoulders above the rest of the field in 2009 and the same should be true in 2010 and possibly even 2011. His knowledge of the offense and ability to change the play at the line of scrimmage should improve as time goes on.
If Garcia improves as much between the 2009 and 2010 seasons as he did between 2008 and 2009, he should be a very good QB next season, possibly the best in the SEC East.
Thus, while he drives Steve Spurrier crazy sometimes with his decisions on the field (see the ill-fated QB sneak on fourth down in the Papajohns.com Bowl), Garcia remains the best option for USC at QB by a wide margin.
But what happens after Garcia exits? Who becomes the starting quarterback then?
Who will start at quarterback for USC in 2012?
I know this - there won’t be any shortage of candidates. Reid McCollum, Andrew Clifford, Aramis Hillary, Connor Shaw, Dylan Thompson and whoever the Gamecocks sign in 2011 should all be in the running for the spot.
After careful consideration, here’s my projected winner: Shaw.
Shaw impressed the USC coaches throughout the recruiting process with his physical skills both running and throwing, his work ethic and his intellectual approach to the game. Spurrier described him Thursday as a “football junkie.”
In my opinion, Shaw is the favorite because he will be the best fit for the offensive system I believe USC will be utilizing when the 2012 season arrives.
The hiring of Shawn Elliott from Appalachian State as the new offensive line coach and run game coordinator sends a strong signal Spurrier is prepared to head in a slightly different direction in terms of offensive philosophy.
While Spurrier is a strong advocate of the I-formation and vertical passing game, he also understands very well the concept of trends. The spread option is the hottest rage in college football. Appalachian State enjoyed the full benefits of the system en route to capturing three consecutive Div. I-AA national championships, and stunning then No. 4 Michigan in one of the greatest upsets ever.
With Elliott now on board, I expect the spread option will creep more and more into the USC playbook. The Gamecocks used it towards the latter portion of the 2009 season and had some success with it.
After the Clemson win, I asked Garcia about the option pitch to Maddox for the game-tying touchdown in the first quarter. He said USC had finally reached the point where they were comfortable running some option and that was a good time for that play call.
Shaw had a brilliant senior season at Flowery Branch (Ga.) High School. He threw for 3,100 yards and 30 touchdowns with just six interceptions, while rushing for 800 yards and 17 TDs. He also threw for 2,200 yards and rushed for 941 yards as a junior.
Obviously, Shaw got the job done in high school both running and throwing. Clifford has also shown the ability to gain yards with his arms and legs, rushing for 10 touchdowns as a senior in Tampa.
Things change very quickly in major college football – a lesson we’ve learned yet again over the past several days – and the 2012 season is a long, long, long ways into the distant future.
But, in my opinion, the hiring of Elliott gives Shaw the inside track to the starting quarterback job when Garcia is done in Columbia.
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South Carolina will have five scholarship quarterbacks on campus when spring practice starts sometime in March.
But short of a devastating injury or Heisman Trophy campaign by incumbent starter Stephen Garcia in 2010, we all know who will be calling signals for the Gamecocks over the next two years.
Garcia was heads and shoulders above the rest of the field in 2009 and the same should be true in 2010 and possibly even 2011. His knowledge of the offense and ability to change the play at the line of scrimmage should improve as time goes on.
If Garcia improves as much between the 2009 and 2010 seasons as he did between 2008 and 2009, he should be a very good QB next season, possibly the best in the SEC East.
Thus, while he drives Steve Spurrier crazy sometimes with his decisions on the field (see the ill-fated QB sneak on fourth down in the Papajohns.com Bowl), Garcia remains the best option for USC at QB by a wide margin.
But what happens after Garcia exits? Who becomes the starting quarterback then?
Who will start at quarterback for USC in 2012?
I know this - there won’t be any shortage of candidates. Reid McCollum, Andrew Clifford, Aramis Hillary, Connor Shaw, Dylan Thompson and whoever the Gamecocks sign in 2011 should all be in the running for the spot.
After careful consideration, here’s my projected winner: Shaw.
Shaw impressed the USC coaches throughout the recruiting process with his physical skills both running and throwing, his work ethic and his intellectual approach to the game. Spurrier described him Thursday as a “football junkie.”
In my opinion, Shaw is the favorite because he will be the best fit for the offensive system I believe USC will be utilizing when the 2012 season arrives.
The hiring of Shawn Elliott from Appalachian State as the new offensive line coach and run game coordinator sends a strong signal Spurrier is prepared to head in a slightly different direction in terms of offensive philosophy.
While Spurrier is a strong advocate of the I-formation and vertical passing game, he also understands very well the concept of trends. The spread option is the hottest rage in college football. Appalachian State enjoyed the full benefits of the system en route to capturing three consecutive Div. I-AA national championships, and stunning then No. 4 Michigan in one of the greatest upsets ever.
With Elliott now on board, I expect the spread option will creep more and more into the USC playbook. The Gamecocks used it towards the latter portion of the 2009 season and had some success with it.
After the Clemson win, I asked Garcia about the option pitch to Maddox for the game-tying touchdown in the first quarter. He said USC had finally reached the point where they were comfortable running some option and that was a good time for that play call.
Shaw had a brilliant senior season at Flowery Branch (Ga.) High School. He threw for 3,100 yards and 30 touchdowns with just six interceptions, while rushing for 800 yards and 17 TDs. He also threw for 2,200 yards and rushed for 941 yards as a junior.
Obviously, Shaw got the job done in high school both running and throwing. Clifford has also shown the ability to gain yards with his arms and legs, rushing for 10 touchdowns as a senior in Tampa.
Things change very quickly in major college football – a lesson we’ve learned yet again over the past several days – and the 2012 season is a long, long, long ways into the distant future.
But, in my opinion, the hiring of Elliott gives Shaw the inside track to the starting quarterback job when Garcia is done in Columbia.
Link to this entry - Discuss this entry - Return to Blog Home
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Scott Hood. Since February of 2005, Scott has covered the South Carolina football, men's basketball and baseball programs for GamecockCentral. He may be reached by email at scottblog(at)gamecockcentral.com. Replace (at) with @.