South Carolina Football: 3 Early Standouts from Spring Practice

South Carolina was somewhat of a surprise team last season after winning 11 games and nearly reaching the SEC Championship Game. This season, they have an even greater shot of doing so, as they return eight starters on the offensive side of the ball and six on defense.

But in order to accomplish their goals, the Gamecocks must develop some depth and find out which players are ready to take that next step in their careers. That's what spring practice is for, and that's what they'll be looking for when the spring game takes place on April 14.

Here are three players that have stepped up in the spring for South Carolina.

WR Ace Sanders

Ace Sanders has had two decent seasons in a row, catching a combined 54 passes for 699 yards and four touchdowns. But with Alshon Jeffery getting ready for the NFL draft, he must step up and take on a much larger role, and it seems like he knows that early on.

“Ace is our best receiver right now. There’s no question about it,” USC coach Steve Spurrier said. “He’s going to have a big year for us. I’m convinced of that.”

It's hard to impress somebody who's been coaching football as long as Spurrier has, so when he says something like that, you know Sanders has been doing some special things in practice.

DE Jadeveon Clowney

Jadeveon Clowney had so much hype coming into the 2011 season that the 36 tackles, 12 tackles for loss and eight sacks maybe weren't enough to satisfy Gamecock fans. But if you're one of those people that was expecting more, his sophomore season may end up being even better.

"I don't think they've blocked him yet when he's been inside," said South Carolina D-line coach Brad Lawing.

Clowney will play a combination of inside and outside on the defensive line this season, and with his athleticism, you can expect another monster season from the sophomore.

WR Damiere Byrd

Along with Sanders, it looks like sophomore Damiere Byrd is really spreading his wings as well and is ready for an even bigger role. Last season, he only caught one pass for 16 yards, but he's entered camp in much better shape and looks like he could become a very productive player for the Gamecocks this season:

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“You can tell he’s gotten stronger, faster, bigger – all the things you kind of look for – and more confident,” USC coach Steve Spurrier said. “Last year, two years ago, it took him a while to really feel his way through it. Now you can really see him moving fast and confident. He looks really, really good.”

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With receivers that are playing well and a healthy Marcus Lattimore at running back, South Carolina may have a solid offense to go with that lights-out defense that ranked fourth in the country a season ago.