Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] Gamecocks is brought to you by the Mason Jar, New York City. The Mason Jar is the official gamecock bar for the New York City area. Fans and alumni of USC can come by the Jar for some great barbecue, cold drinks, and of course, to watch the gamecocks in any sport, all while surrounded by South Carolina memorabilia. If you want to get a slice of game day in Columbia, all while in the Big Apple, head to the Mason Jar on east 30th street. All right, here we go.
[00:01:12] Episode 200 of Cox Talking Gamecocks brought to you by The Mason Jar, New York City. I am your host, Tim Cox, where I will keep every episode from 18 one to 2001. And how about this? Episode 200. I honestly can't believe it. It's been a really fun experience hosting this podcast, connecting with so many Gamecock fans, covering the Gamecocks, for lack of a better term, watching them closely, reporting on them, tweeting about them, posting about them. It's been a blast. And whether you've listened since episode one or episode 199, I want to thank you. It's been a blast. Hopefully going to keep it going. I don't see a reason to stop unless the Gamecocks give me an aneurysm, which is on the table. But no, seriously, it has been a pleasure. It's really, really fun. And like I've said before, if you want to talk ball, if you want to talk to gamecock, shoot me a DM. DMs are open, always looking to chat and whatnot, but I really appreciate you guys and yeah, let's get into this. And here's the 200 more, honestly. But yeah, we are back to the grind now after our Thanksgiving turkey food comas. This week always kind of blows. Reentry is always difficult. It's been a tough week, been a tough week professionally in the work front and on the gamecocks front, but we will get into all of that now. There is no Week in review, there's actually no scores to report outside of basketball. And now that we are fully officially in just basketball season, I'm going to have different segments, their own dedicated time to talk to the women's basketball team and the men's basketball team. Whereas in football season, I was sort of lumping them into the week in review. So as other sports pick up, we will report on that, but outside of that, we will get to them separately. But this week there was a lot of action around the football program and I also wanted to take some time to put a bow on the season to share some final thoughts. Because if you listened to last episode, that was just sadness, that was not a cohesive train of thought, really. So sat down and really thought about this year and we'll put a bow on it and look to move on. But before that, we have a lot, a lot of roster news to cover here. First off, let's start with the good guys officially going pro. Some guys have declared for the NFL draft also just sort of with eligibility and things like that. So of note right now we have De Carry On, joyner, Marcellus Dial, Xavier Leguette, and Spencer Rattler all are going to pursue their NFL dreams and really nothing but love for these guys here. Wish them absolutely nothing but the best. I think, putting bias aside, I think any team that gets one of these guys is going to be lucky. They're all very hard workers. They've all improved in their craft. And I think anytime you get a gamecock in the pro, it is a good thing. Spencer Ratler Xavier leguette especially. It's going to be really cool to see where they go. Leguette flew up on draft predictions this year because of his performance. Rattler definitely improved his stock as well. With what he did this year and how he grew really over the last two years, I'd say. But I think overcoming some of the false narrative about him not being a team player and things like that, he proved his leadership skills and in every press conference he had this year, it was the ultimate pro and it sounded like a franchise quarterback. So hopefully he gets a shot and we can see him play on Sundays. Dial and Joyner also, guys you absolutely want on your team and who are just ballers really.
[00:05:16] Now, aside from that fun news, this was a tough, tough week for the program, especially Thursday. A lot of action around the portal on Thursday. I couldn't come up with a clever name, so we're calling it Dark Thursday. It was a tough one. So what I'm going to do is I'm going to list out what we know so far. Now the situation is fluid with some of these guys. So if it changes, like, don't come and hunt me down. This is what we know right now as far as guys going into the transfer portal from our team. All these guys have entered the portal right now. Linebacker Donovan Westmoreland. Quarterbacks Tanner Bailey and Colton Gauthier. Wide receivers, Landon Sampson and Kylic Horton. Defensive lineman Felix Hickson and DeAndre Martin. And now brace yourself for these next ones. Kicker Mitch Jeter, this is his grad year. Defensive back. O'Donnell fortune. Now this one is rumored, but it is expected. Defensive lineman Tonka Hemingway, also rumored but expected. And then the big one of them all, the one that broke gamecock internet wide receiver Juice Wells has decided to enter the transfer portal. Now some of these guys leaving are going to explore places for more playing time, which is very understandable, especially if you've been with the program for two, maybe three years and it just hasn't really worked out. You're trying to get some tape, you're trying to get some playing time. I absolutely feel that. Wish you well.
[00:07:01] Some of these very well might have reasons to do with Nil opportunities.
[00:07:09] There's been some rumors that some of these are our guys going to pursue winning, right? Like trying to get to a national championship, which, as much as I would like to see for South Carolina next year, I don't think that's happening.
[00:07:23] That one I don't know. That one I'm not even going to pay any mind to.
[00:07:30] But, you know, with Nil, it definitely is a factor with the Portal across college football, and we've seen it as gamecocks. Unfortunately, with two offseasons ago, this current season, it feels like it does have something to do with it. And I don't want to spend too much time talking about this, but it's here to stay.
[00:07:58] Whether you agree with it or not, nil Opportunities are here to stay. Now, I think we've gone Awry from how they were first intended, right? At first intended was a guy can sell an autograph or do a paid appearance around campus and things like that. It's gone really sideways.
[00:08:20] And when you couple that with the Portal and the freedom that these players have, which when you look at that in itself without any Nil, is also okay. Right. A guy should be able to leave to get more playing time, things like that. But what you're having now is this perfect storm of guys being able to freely leave and go to another school, seemingly to make some more money.
[00:08:49] And that, I think, leaves a lot of people with a sour taste in their mouth, as it should be, because that's not the sport we grew up with, and it's not the sport we fell in love with, but it is here to stay. And I'm independent. Like, I do not have an official affiliation with either Nil collective at South Carolina. But just as a fan who wants South Carolina to win and wants us to win in everything, not just sports, but academics and Nil space, I feel that education is a huge gap that we have in our program programs. Right. So for those of you who don't know, we have two collectives. You have the garnet trust and Carolina rise they are not competitors. They do different things.
[00:09:40] Both have very comprehensive websites that can answer all of your questions. What does nil mean?
[00:09:48] What can and cannot be done with it, state regulations with it, NCAA regulations with it, and they have their memberships. Now, I understand that it kind of stinks that Nil falls on the feet of the everyday fans to fund, to a degree.
[00:10:09] There are some mega donors out there, mega donors, excuse me, out there, but it does sort of take a village, right? So I would never tell anyone what to do with their money. But if you are able to contribute a little bit, it would only go to help progress the Nil collectives, and the potential competitive advantage it could give South Carolina. Both Carolina Rise and Garnet trust have one time donation options. They also have monthly options, I think, for like, as little as $10 on either. You get some cool benefits along with it. They really make it worth your while. But if you're tired of hearing about South Carolina lacking in the Nil space, which there's a couple of articles about that, we are towards the bottom of the SEC.
[00:10:59] If you're tired of hearing about that, and if you're tired of hearing that guys can go elsewhere at the snap of a finger to make some more money, and that's the one thing that's from keeping them here, there's a way to help out with that. It's not foolproof. It doesn't guarantee us anything. We might not like that. It can't be tied to certain things or guarantees, but it's where we're at nonetheless. If everyone stays put, then our biggest losses from this Portal exodus are Mitch Jeter, Juice, Tonka, and Fortune, in my opinion. And those are big time players, they're starters, but I think you can kind of live with it. Now that the dust has settled a little bit, it felt like everyone was about to leave.
[00:11:48] You can find a wide receiver, interior, defensive lineman, and a D back, all with experience, all with the Portal, and you can probably find them with a couple of years of eligibility left. We have Herrera on the roster who will take over kicking duties, I'm assuming. So it stinks, because with Juice, he said he was going to come back. I guess he just meant back to college. Tonka, that's our boy. And Fortune, he would have been CB one. So, yeah, big day in Carolina football here. But to keep the good times going even more sarcastic, I wanted to put a bow on the coverage of the 2023 season for the team, and finishing five and seven just sucks. I mean, I really can't believe that the season is over. And the worst part of it is that you don't have a bowl game to look forward to, to get past that last loss against Clemson. And this season was a lot of things.
[00:12:50] I feel like it was frustrating, it was weird, it was filled with a lot of what ifs. It was challenging. But at the same time, it did provide some really great moments. I mean, really, from the jump, this team was behind the eight ball with injuries not just from the spring and the summer, but from the very start of the first game. And that was something that just stayed a theme this year. And I really just think it ultimately held the team back, not being at full strength. From the word go, a lot of young guys were forced into action, and there was a learning curve not just for the players, but I think for the coaches as far as how do we get the most out of the youth that's on the field right now? I think it took them some time to learn that offensively, the first year under Loggins, it yielded mixed results. The run game struggled to find consistency. Thank goodness for Mario. At least without him, I don't know where we would be. Probably wouldn't even be at five wins. The passing game thrived with Spencer and Xavier Leguette guys having record breaking seasons. Right. Talking about those good moments, that was a special connection, them two.
[00:14:03] And while the total points scored on this year, it's not eye popping. I felt that for the most part, this offense passed the eye test. Just like it was easier to find a rhythm in games than it was the past two years. I thought the play calling was better than it was the last two years, and it just seemed like the guys grasped the playbook easier. However, down the stretch, this team struggled to find consistency or really anything against legitimate defenses like Kentucky and Clemson.
[00:14:41] Now, Dawa Loggins, he came into this thing as far from a sure thing. It was a hire that raised a lot of question marks, and I think it's fair to say that the jury is still out on him.
[00:14:56] I'm cautiously optimistic just because I can't go down the path of the opposite, really.
[00:15:03] So with new players at critical positions next year, including wide receiver one, quarterback one, he has to find a way to tailor his playbook to them. You didn't inherit a guy with NFL talent like Spencer Rattler. Right this upcoming year.
[00:15:22] Defensively. It was really Jekyll and Hyde. I mean, really, that's the only way I can describe it. For the first seven games, this defense was bad, noticeably bad, giving up way too many explosive plays. Guys were out of position, little to no pass rush, they just looked bad.
[00:15:42] Then the A and M game comes around and we saw something a little different.
[00:15:49] They still gave up 30 points, but especially early in that game, you saw more of a physical and effective defense. And it was really this unveiling of the three, three, five look that became such a talking point through the rest of the year.
[00:16:06] And that game really served as a turning point for the defense, as they did not give up more than 28 points for the rest of the way. And they held three power five teams to under 20 points each.
[00:16:21] The defense kept the team in the game against Kentucky and is the reason we won late in that game. And against Clemson, they kept the Tigers out of the end zone.
[00:16:35] So overall for the year, it is no doubt a in my opinion, you can't miss a bowl game at South Carolina. That is the floor. That is the bare minimum of doing your job.
[00:16:48] Now, Shane Beamer was able to come into this job and he improved the culture inside the locker room, he re energized the fan base, and he far exceeded expectations in his first two years.
[00:17:01] And maybe there was an expectation that the progression would just naturally continue.
[00:17:07] And it probably wasn't fair to expect eight or nine wins again, but it certainly is fair to have expected six.
[00:17:18] If the team beats Florida, we're in a bowl game.
[00:17:23] If the team scheduled a cupcake and not UNC, we're in a bowl game. If Juice doesn't get hurt, maybe we have seven wins. Right? If he doesn't get hurt against right, finishes that game out, maybe we actually pull that game off. Like I said, it's a season of what ifs.
[00:17:43] Now, don't take it wrong. I like beamer. I think he is the type of coach South Carolina needs.
[00:17:50] But at the end of the day, you are judged by wins and losses, and five wins is not going to get it done. And it is not acceptable at a school like UNC, right? We're a school that packs out 77, 80,000 people every Saturday. We have multimillion dollar facilities, we have great academics, we care about football.
[00:18:19] That's not acceptable, five wins. So he needs to take a look inward and look at what he can change personally to be a better coach, be a better communicator, whatever it needs to be. And he needs to look at his staff and figure out what changes need to be made, whether it's someone's job status, their title, or their approach to the game.
[00:18:44] So this season is officially over, and as I'm sitting here today, it's just you're hoping not to lose any more guys to The Portal.
[00:18:53] Beamer has managed to do a decent job in The Portal these last two Go rounds, so hopefully we can rebuild and reload with The Portal and continue to recruit well.
[00:19:04] And hopefully next year we have an improvement in the win column.
[00:19:10] But on to more fun topics, actual fun topics. Let's talk basketball, because apparently South Carolina is a full on basketball school. Now on the women's side of things, the ladies are playing UNC as I am recording this. This is yet another early season ranked opponent for dawn and company. I'm feeling good going into this game. I think they can handle it well, but no matter what, it will make them stronger down the line. Now their next game is Sunday afternoon at Duke. So doing a little duke UNC thing. I guess so. That'll be fun to watch.
[00:19:47] Men's basketball. On Tuesday night, they beat Notre Dame 65 to 53 in the ACC SEC challenge to improve to six. And o colonial life was rocking Rocking like I haven't seen for the men's team in a while, let alone in November. They had to sell extra student seats and don't look now, but the Fighting quarter Zips are undefeated in November, having a great start. Best start since 2017, that Final Four run.
[00:20:21] Now this game started slow for both teams, but especially Carolina, as they struggled to get the offense going. Things started cooking though, and the gamecocks took a lead into half. This whole game. Michi Johnson was absolutely cooking. Call him three. Chee threeChi. Johnson hitting everything from three. He set a new career high in points. But what I liked about this game was how the team played late in the game, really after the ten minute mark. Defensively, they totally locked down staved off a couple of Notre Dame runs. The team was causing all sorts of problems and turnovers for the Irish, but offensively, things came together as the game went on. BJ Mack found a groove and got some clutch buckets. The team nailed clutch free throws down the stretch, and overall, they got contributions from all sorts of sources. Michi Johnson. Like I said, 29 points. BJ Mac ended up with 17. Talon Cooper had a nice night. Nine points, five rebounds, and Jacoby Wright contributed with seven points. This team is fun to watch, y'all. They play hard, you can tell they understand the system, and it stands to reason that they will only get better as the season goes on.
[00:21:37] Fun piece of news from the team is Colin Murray Boyles, the freshman who was apparently looking very good in the offseason and was set to have a big role. He is set to begin basketball activities this week. He has missed the last month and change, even with a bout of mono, so gonna take some time for him to get back, but that's exciting. Got some reinforcements on the way for Lamont Paris. The men's next game is this Friday night at home against George Washington. GW is six and one coming into the game. My crow to the game here is get Miles Studie going. He had a very off night against Notre Dame, had just one point. You saw him taking some shots after the game was over. Trying to get back in that groove. Get him going, get him 912, something like that. Points. If he is cooking, everyone else should fall into place. But with that, y'all, that wraps up this episode. Please follow me on social media. Twitter is coxgamecox. Instagram is just the name of the show, cox Talking Gamecocks. And please, like subscribe and review the podcast. I appreciate all y'all. Go Cox.
