South Carolina is in danger of becoming SEC East bottomfeeder

Published Apr. 1, 2015 11:25 a.m. ET

foxsports

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The last time South Carolina lost six games in a season was back in 2009.

After unprecedented success and 42 wins from 2010-13, the Gamecocks came crashing back down to earth with six losses -- five in the SEC -- in 2014.

Steve Spurrier's resume speaks for itself and South Carolina isn't devoid of talent, but there is plenty of work to be done this spring in Columbia.

Here are five spring storylines to watch for the Gamecocks.

1. Find a pass rush

It's no secret how bad South Carolina's pass rush was last season. Spurrier has spoken openly about it all offseason, so something must be done to improve the SEC's worst pass rush (14.0 total sacks). No one on the team posted more than 2.0 sacks a year ago and new co-defensive coordinator (along with Lorenzo Ward) Jon Hoke's first job is to find a way to get after opposing quarterbacks.

2. Is Connor Mitch the guy?

Dylan Thompson needed a bowl win over Miami to give South Carolina a winning record in his only season under center. He's gone and Spurrier is looking to break in another starting quarterback for a second straight season. Sophomore Connor Mitch (6-foot-3, 210 pounds), who has thrown six career passes, will have the inside track on the job but will be pressed by Perry Orth (6-1, 212) and Michael Scarnecchia (6-4, 201) this spring.

3. Rebuild the offensive line

A big part of the preseason hype for South Carolina entering last season was the stable and veteran offensive line. But with Corey Robinson and A.J. Cann now gone, this offense needs to rebuild its front heading into the summer. Brandon Shell is back and is a good piece to build around, but names like Clayton Stadnik, Alan Knott, Cody Waldrop and Will Sport need to step into bigger roles.

4. Stop the pass

The Gamecocks were 11th in the SEC in giving up pass plays of 10 yards or more (118) and 10th in pass plays of at least 20 yards or more (42). This secondary was filled with young players last year and it ranked 70th nationally in passes intercepted (11). Of the top six returning defensive backs, five were underclassmen last year and it's Hoke's job to develop this group.

5. Develop star power

South Carolina has claimed some of the biggest stars in the SEC in recent years. With Alshon Jeffery, Marcus Lattimore, Jadeveon Clowney and Connor Shaw, the Cocks had star power. With Thompson, tailback Mike Davis and tight end Rory Anderson gone on offense, only Pharoh Cooper returns with any fanfare on either side of the ball. Cooper is the only returning member of the roster with any All-SEC recognition of any kind.

Pre-spring outlook for South Carolina in SEC

Spurrier has proven to be a magician in the past and he will need to work some minor miracles with old buddy Hoke if South Carolina wants to get back into the SEC title race. This team has lots of young talent that was forced into action early last year and it falls to the coaching staff to develop it. The SEC East is improving rapidly around Spurrier, so his squad needs to do the same.