4-Star QB Jake Bentley Enrolling Early at South Carolina a Big Win for Muschamp

The South Carolina quarterback battle just added another competitor—and it's somebody out of the class of 2017.

That's not a typo. A class of 2017 quarterback could be starting for South Carolina in 2016.

Jake Bentley, a 4-star prospect from Opelika, Alabama, announced on Twitter Wednesday morning that he will graduate from high school a year early and begin his South Carolina career this summer.

Bentley, who is the son of South Carolina running backs coach Bobby Bentley (who was an analyst at Auburn last season and a legendary former high school coach in South Carolina), will join a loaded quarterback battle at South Carolina this summer that includes redshirt senior Perry Orth, true freshman early enrollee Brandon McIlwain, sophomore Lorenzo Nunez and junior Connor Mitch.

As Dayne Young of WRBL-TV in Columbus, Georgia, notes, Bentley will head east to Columbia with hype attached to his name.

Does Bentley have the chance to start right away?

A chance, sure.

But asking a kid who should be a senior in high school to learn an offense, figure out the speed of the game and beat out a crowded pack of talented quarterbacks in essentially a month of practice is too much to ask, no matter how much time he has spent around the game with his father.

McIlwain has already jumped to the front of the pack in his first spring practice, and Muschamp said that he and Orth looked great prior to the collarbone injury that knocked the latter out of action this spring, according to David Caraviello of the Post and Courier.

Bentley's quest to start is only one part of the story, though.

The bigger news that stems from Bentley's decision is that the quarterback talent Muschamp has amassed in Columbia is incredibly impressive.

Bentley has a 0.9511 ranking, according to 247Sports, and now joins McIlwain, who boasted a 0.9254. Muschamp has successfully recruited two of the top three quarterbacks South Carolina has had over the last decade.

Player	Year	247Sports Rating
Jake Bentley	2016	0.9511
Stephen Garcia	2007	0.9498
Brandon McIlwain	2016	0.9254
Lorenzo Nunez	2015	0.8928
Connor Mitch	2013	0.8865
Brendan Nosovitch	2012	0.8731
Connor Shaw	2010	0.8715
Chris Smelley	2006	0.8674

Think about that for a second.

Muschamp, who's hardly known for developing quarterbacks into stars, now has a better reputation of recruiting top-tier quarterbacks to South Carolina than Steve Spurrier—a man who literally changed the game of college football because of quarterback play.

That's strong.

What he will do with those quarterbacks is still a mystery, but he's giving himself and offensive coordinator Kurt Roper plenty of chances for success with players who not only are highly rated, but also touted for different reasons.

Bentley has a strong arm, can stretch the ball sideline-to-sideline and make all of the throws required to keep defenses honest. What's more, he's a good runner who can at least pose a threat on read-options, which is a staple in Roper offenses.

McIlwain is the opposite. His ability to create on the ground is as good as it gets, and is no slouch in the passing game either. 

Muschamp has things cooking on the recruiting trail in Columbia.

The next step is having that potential translate to success on the field.

Quotes were obtained firsthand, unless otherwise noted. Statistics are courtesy of CFBStats.com, unless otherwise noted, and recruiting information is courtesy of 247Sports.

Barrett Sallee is the lead SEC college football writer and national college football video analyst for Bleacher Report, as well as a host on Bleacher Report Radio on SiriusXM 83. Follow Barrett on Twitter @BarrettSallee.