Aug. 2, 2016

The University of South Carolina football team, under the direction of new head coach Will Muschamp, opened fall camp on Tuesday morning by working out at the new practice fields adjacent to the Jerri and Steve Spurrier Indoor Practice Facility.

The Gamecocks took the field on an overcast but humid morning in helmets and shorts. The veterans participated in the first half of the split squad practice, alternating between team and individual work while the younger players looked on. The younger players then joined the veterans for special teams drills, before going through their own paces for the final hour of the three-hour session.

“It was a typical first day,” said Coach Muschamp following the workout. “We’ve got to continue to improve the urgency of our football team and the tempo of practice, but for the most part I was pretty pleased.

“But you play football in pads,” noted Muschamp. “Right now, we’re in shorts. There was pretty good retention on both sides of the ball and on special teams as far as schematically of what we do. We’re looking forward to continuing to improve every day. We need to find a way to improve as coaches and as players every day to help improve our football team.”

Coach Muschamp was pleased with the overall conditioning of the squad. “The older guys obviously are a little further along,” said Muschamp. “Some of the younger guys have to learn to battle through the heat and battle through the fatigue. But that’s part of it. That’s every year.”

The SEC Network was on hand Tuesday, as Columbia was the first of their 14 scheduled stops as they visit every SEC campus in the preseason. Coach Muschamp was wired with a microphone throughout the practice for SEC Inside.

Tuesday’s workout was the first of 29 scheduled practices leading up to the season opener, slated for Thursday, September 1, at Vanderbilt. The team will have similar workout schedule for each of the next three days before putting on full pads for the first time on Saturday.