COLUMBIA — South Carolina wide receiver Bruce Ellington was back full time at practice on Tuesday, and perhaps more full time than coach Steve Spurrier wants to see.
“Bruce was catching out here,” Spurrier said. “I had to get him out. He wants to go every rep. He’s making diving catches, fell on his back and his head one time when he went up and made a nice catch. Got to hold him out a little more. He does more than he needs to.”
Ellington has missed most of the spring while playing point guard on the Gamecock basketball team.
A junior who blossomed into the Gamecocks’ leading receiver last season, Ellington probably could have skipped spring practice altogether with the coaches’ blessing.
However, that’s simply not in his nature.
“I’m ready to get back out there,” Ellington said last week. “I’m ready to go play.”
In Ellington’s absence, sophomores Shamiere Jeffery and Shaq Roland have gotten more work in practice, and Spurrier had praise once again for both on Tuesday.
“Guys were hustling today,” Spurrier said. “Shaq Roland made some nice catches. Shamiere Jeffery continues to look good. The defensive guys made some good plays. It was a pretty decent practice.”
Although South Carolina operates mainly out of a one-back set, Spurrier said junior walk-on Connor McLaurin, a converted linebacker, has looked good enough at fullback to merit the Gamecocks considering adding more two-back plays in the offense.
“I still think we need to get into a little bit more two-back occasionally,” Spurrier said. “Connor will get a chance to be that fullback when we do that. It gives us a little bit different offense.”
In the secondary, defensive backs coach Grady Brown remains coy about his probable starters to the point of saying that the personnel he has working at both safety positions and both corner positions are more or less interchangeable at this point.
“All I can promise you is that we will put the best four players on the field when we open the season against North Carolina,” Brown said.
South Carolina has changed practice plans because of a weather forecast that calls for rain on Thursday.
The Gamecocks, who had originally planned to scrimmage on Thursday, will move inside for a limited practice.
South Carolina is scheduled to practice again on Friday with a scrimmage set for Saturday.
Spurrier’s head gear plans for future practices are up in the air. On Tuesday, Spurrier wore a Boston Red Sox cap.
“I played in a charity golf event back in February in Fort Myers, and the Red Sox were there,” Spurrier said. “I met (Red Sox Hall of Famer) Jim Rice, who is from South Carolina. I said, ‘If you send me a hat, I’ll wear it. They sent me a hat today. (Former Gamecock) Jackie Bradley Jr. was the star of the show yesterday. He played well. I guess I pull for the Red Sox a little bit.”
Link: http://bleacherreport.com/tb/da5Wh?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_campaign=south-carolina-football
“Bruce was catching out here,” Spurrier said. “I had to get him out. He wants to go every rep. He’s making diving catches, fell on his back and his head one time when he went up and made a nice catch. Got to hold him out a little more. He does more than he needs to.”
Ellington has missed most of the spring while playing point guard on the Gamecock basketball team.
A junior who blossomed into the Gamecocks’ leading receiver last season, Ellington probably could have skipped spring practice altogether with the coaches’ blessing.
However, that’s simply not in his nature.
“I’m ready to get back out there,” Ellington said last week. “I’m ready to go play.”
In Ellington’s absence, sophomores Shamiere Jeffery and Shaq Roland have gotten more work in practice, and Spurrier had praise once again for both on Tuesday.
“Guys were hustling today,” Spurrier said. “Shaq Roland made some nice catches. Shamiere Jeffery continues to look good. The defensive guys made some good plays. It was a pretty decent practice.”
Although South Carolina operates mainly out of a one-back set, Spurrier said junior walk-on Connor McLaurin, a converted linebacker, has looked good enough at fullback to merit the Gamecocks considering adding more two-back plays in the offense.
“I still think we need to get into a little bit more two-back occasionally,” Spurrier said. “Connor will get a chance to be that fullback when we do that. It gives us a little bit different offense.”
In the secondary, defensive backs coach Grady Brown remains coy about his probable starters to the point of saying that the personnel he has working at both safety positions and both corner positions are more or less interchangeable at this point.
“All I can promise you is that we will put the best four players on the field when we open the season against North Carolina,” Brown said.
South Carolina has changed practice plans because of a weather forecast that calls for rain on Thursday.
The Gamecocks, who had originally planned to scrimmage on Thursday, will move inside for a limited practice.
South Carolina is scheduled to practice again on Friday with a scrimmage set for Saturday.
Spurrier’s head gear plans for future practices are up in the air. On Tuesday, Spurrier wore a Boston Red Sox cap.
“I played in a charity golf event back in February in Fort Myers, and the Red Sox were there,” Spurrier said. “I met (Red Sox Hall of Famer) Jim Rice, who is from South Carolina. I said, ‘If you send me a hat, I’ll wear it. They sent me a hat today. (Former Gamecock) Jackie Bradley Jr. was the star of the show yesterday. He played well. I guess I pull for the Red Sox a little bit.”
Link: http://bleacherreport.com/tb/da5Wh?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_campaign=south-carolina-football
