He's one of the fastest corners in the SEC, has fantastic hands, and quarterbacks fear throwing to his side of the field.
I'm talking of course about Captain Munnerlyn, the All-SEC cornerback for the South Carolina Gamecocks who anchors what promises to be one of the league's top defenses.
Sure, Carolina had a major problem stopping the run last year. Perhaps "major" isn't even the correct word when a team gives up over 500 yards on the ground to Arkansas.
However, with the addition of new defensive coordinator Ellis Johnson, the defense should improve greatly against the run. His approach will combine nicely with their already nationally ranked pass defense, in which Munnerlyn was a key player.
Joining him in the defensive backfield will be speedy free safety Chris Culliver whose excellent hands and 4.28 40-time will reap a score or two off interceptions this season.
The defensive backfield isn't the only strong suit in Carolina this season. Jasper Brinkley returns at linebacker with Freshman All-SEC defensive end Cliff Matthews anchoring the line.
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Brinkley missed most of the 2007 season after tearing his ACL, but progressed well in his rehab, and recorded 21 tackles (15 solo) in his four games played during the 2007 season.
Other notable defensive players to watch are All-SEC linebacker Eric Norwood, linebacker Rodney Paulk, and defensive back Emmanuel Cook. The Lindsey twins also return to the Gamecocks' defensive line.
The real question for the Gamecocks is who will step up at quarterback? While there is never a clear-cut answer with Steve Spurrier, Tommy Beecher wouldn't be a bad idea.
Beecher is more mobile than Chris Smelley, and until the offensive line proves it can gel together and block, the Gamecocks need a good all-around quarterback taking snaps.
The strongest piece to this Carolina offense is the receiver corps. Led by All-SEC wide receiver Kenny McKinley, this group should be catching many scores regardless of who lines up under center.
McKinley's SEC-leading 77 receptions set a school-record, while his nine touchdowns tied for second best in the SEC. His decision to return to Carolina for his senior season gives the Gamecocks a solid go-to-receiver.
Right behind McKinley is sophomore receiver Dion Lecorn, who had 16 receptions for 215 yards and two touchdowns during the season's final three games. He should haul in well over 500 receiving yards in the upcoming season.
Steve Spurrier doesn't make receiving exclusive to the wide-outs. Tight ends Weslye Saunders and Jared Cook (30 receptions, 421 yards) provide talented big men to look to up the middle.
Other notable receivers to watch for include Larry Freeman, Jason Barnes, Moe Brown, and Freddie Brown.
Finally, running backs Mike Davis and Brian Maddox should power the ground attack much like the Davis-Boyd split, which worked so well in past seasons. Davis carried the ball 114 times for 518 yards and five scores in '07.
Also, look for kicker Ryan Succop to rebound from an off-season to continue his record success at Carolina.
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3 months ago
Wasn't Culliver a receiver? He moved to corner? Yea QB looks like a big issue. Not sure who will step up there.
from 3 months ago
He played WR last year and this year has moved to free safety.
3 months ago
not only did culliver more to safety, but he was terrific once there. qb will not be an issue. not only do we have smelley and beecher, but this fall they will be joined by arimis hillary, reid mccollum and yes, stephen garcia. that is quite a list of very talented qb's, and it does even include the walkons, zac brindise and michael mcqueeney. that is a stable of able qb's, and with sos handing the play calling duties to his son, jr. , he will have so much more time to spend with those qb's. i expect the qb's to be very good. also, our ol will be much improved, the only worry here is the depth behind the starting five. but with q. richardson and k. nunn showing up very well in the spring, that could help tremendously with the depth problem. also, when talking about the wr's, he forgot to mention joe hills, matt clements and the newest addition of tori childers. we just have an entire slew of wr's! finally with the rb's, he failed to mention eric baker who was the most electrifying of the rb's in the spring. also don't sleep on kenneth miles coming in. he can absolutely fly!!! miles might just end up being the steal of the class. it is also notable to mention that maddox is no slouch in the speed dept.
3 months ago
Gamecocks will have to rely on their D to get wins.
The offense still isn't there yet.
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