Monday my co-manager Sydney previewed the offense for our 2017 package, now it’s time to dive into the defense.
During Steve Spurrier’s tenure with the South Carolina Gamecocks, defense became his calling card in a reverse twist from his identity at Florida. From 2005 to 2013 South Carolina routinely put out top-40 defenses, including a four-year run from 2009 to 2012 where the defense was ranked in top-15 in S&P.
The defense peaked in 2012 when it was ranked No. 6, then fell back to 22 in 2013. There’s no shame in being a top-25 defense, but it was following the departure of NFL talents like Jadeveon Clowney and Jimmy Legree the unit took a serious tumble.