Melvin Ingram has a body of work that most defensive ends would only dream of.  He has a skill set that is unprecedented for a 6'2", 280-pound man.  He is fast.  He is powerful.  He is agile. He also is now "offically" the most skilled defensive end.  This weekend, he competed in the 14th annual All-Star Football Challenge against many of the top college players.  In the lineman challenge, he had to turn over a gigantic tire twice, run through and around various obstacles, push a sled, crawl under a bridge, locate a grounded football and then sprint 20 yards.  He did all of that in 20 seconds, easily beating Mississippi State's Fletcher Cox and North Carolina's Quinton Coples. Outstanding.  This was to cap off a month that saw him absolutely destroy Senior Bowl practices.  Most scouts really took notice of his skills.  Not only is Melvin Ingram a beast of a player, he is a high-character guy.  He is easy to coach and showed improvement in every single season.  His dominant senior season was a testament to his hard work and great ethics.  He should be a top-10 pick.  Many mock drafts have him slated around No. 9 (to the Miami Dophins), which would be an excellent place for the amazing Ingram to go.  It's great to be a Gamecock. Read more South Carolina Football news on BleacherReport.com

South Carolina football has entered a new era of success as a program, and there is one major factor that reveals just how successful the Gamecocks are on the verge of becoming.  No, it isn't the record setting 20-wins in two seasons that reveal the growth. Many teams have good seasons for a variety of factors. However, those teams turn out to be flashes in the pan. Recent "flash in the pan" teams include Kansas, South Florida, and potentially Baylor.   No, the growth isn't based on the number of wins. The number of wins is caused by the growth in the program.  This growth, rather, has been in recruiting.  South Carolina has now established itself as a perennial player for some of the best players in the country. In fact, South Carolina became the first non-traditional power school to grab the unanimous No. 1 prospect in the country in Jadeveon Clowney.  The 2011 class was stellar, and people were extremely excited about the prospects coming on board. Indeed, Clowney wasn't the only reason to be excited about it.  The scary part is that 2012's class has the potential to be even deeper and more talented. Make no mistake, South Carolina gets most of the players it really wants. Marcus Lattimore, Alshon Jeffery, Stephon Gilmore, Jadeveon Clowney and Shaq Roland are all examples of this. These are players that everyone wants. South Carolina no longer has to pick from the dregs and rejects, hoping that a 2-star player becomes a star.  2013 is around the corner, and the Gamecocks are already in contention for some of the country's best players. This in and of itself is the biggest reason for the Gamecocks success and the biggest reason why they aren't going anywhere any time soon. The Gamecocks are here, and built to last.Read more South Carolina Football news on BleacherReport.com

National signing day is now just a brief memory for Gamecock fans.It wasn't an exciting day for recruiting fans, but sometimes it's just better that way.The Gamecocks were able to sign all of the recruits they had committed coming into National Signing Day; 22 players signed on the dotted line on Wednesday, along with three players who were early enrollees for South Carolina. It is always nice when the biggest day of the year for college recruiting goes as expected.There were some big names in this group like RB Mike Davis, WR Shaq Roland, CB Chaz Elder and OT Brock Stadnik. Roland was the lone 5-star recruit for the Gamecocks, as Scout.com had him listed as a 5-star and the No. 4 receiver in the nation. He's expected to play a big role in the 2012 receiving group, and the Gamecocks hope he'll be able to replicate some of the production lost when Alshon Jeffery entered the NFL draft.Roland and Davis battled for the highest overall ranking in most recruiting services, and both were considered the Gamecocks' best prospects.There are plenty of other names who signed with USC that drew plenty of interest.CB Rico McWilliams had offers from schools like N.C. State, Virginia, Mississippi State and Nebraska. He even drew some interest from Alabama. OG Joe Harris had offers from Georgia, Georgia Tech and Florida State. DE Jhaustin Thomas, whom some believe could be a sleeper in this class, had offers from Florida, Auburn and Mississippi.South Carolina picked up several needs in this group, including adding six defensive backs, three wide receivers and two tight ends. The offensive line had five signees with two early enrolles in Brock and Clayton Stadnik, and local product Mason Zandi from Chapin, S.C.This class is balanced and also has plenty of players with great character. South Carolina has been a better "team" the last few years, and you can see that bringing in higher quality recruits with solid backgrounds has made for a better football team.Carolina fans should be extremely pleased with this kind of talent coming to Columbia, and the winning ways of 2010 and 2011 should continue going forward into the future.As they say, it's great to be a Gamecock!Read more South Carolina Football news on BleacherReport.com

South Carolina's recruiting class lacked sizzle, sparkle and drama.  That's quite all right with the head ball coach; there aren't any holes in this class. There is one project-type player, and the rest can contribute—some right away.There are potential stars. Most are high-character kids and highly recruited by big-name schools.  Make no mistake, South Carolina's class is still widely regarded as one of the top 12-18 classes in the country. There is no Jadeveon Clowney or Marcus Lattimore, but there is enough here to continue South Carolina's winning ways.   The Stars: Shaq Roland, Wide Receiver Mike Davis, Running Back Chaz Elder, Defensive Back   The Potential Stars: Jerell Adams, Tight End Jordan Diggs, Defensive Back Jody Fuller, Wide Reciever Darius English, Defensive End Kyle Fleetwood, Defensive Back    The Immediate Contributors: Joe Harris, Offensive Lineman Brock Stadnik, Offensive Lineman T.J. Gurley, Defensive Back T.J. Holloman, Linebacker Chris Moody, Defensive Back Nick St. Germain, Kicker   Redshirt Players Who Will be Great Down the Road: Carlos Hood, Defensive Tackle Kaiwan Lewis, Linebacker Rico McWilliams, Defensive Back Brendan Nosovitch, Quarterback Kelvin Rainey, Tight End Kendric Salley, Running Back Kwinton Smith, Wide Receiver Clayton Stadnik, Center Jhaustin Thomas, Defensive End Cody Waldrop, Offensive Line   Low-Risk/High-Reward Project Player: Mason Zandi, Offensive Line   The Gamecocks have come a long way. They used to get 2- to 3-star players exclusively, now they compete toe-to-toe with some of the biggest programs in the country.  It has snowballed into a dangerous sleeping giant in the SEC.  This class is extremely deep. There are contributors across the board and plenty of sleeper stars. This class is deeper and more talented than 2011's, and that class had Jadeveon Clowney in it.  Overall Grade:  ARead more South Carolina Football news on BleacherReport.com

Every year, a team uses recruiting to fill in major gaps, build depth and attempt to find that home-run player that can make an instant impact. While it is always important to try and grab the best recruits at each position every year, the Gamecocks have a few positions the team can live without recruiting in 2012.  These positions are already deep enough and solid enough to make a splash this season without the freshman boost. Begin Slideshow

Every year, a team uses recruiting to fill in major gaps, build depth and attempt to find that home-run player that can make an instant impact. While it is always important to try and grab the best recruits at each position every year, the Gamecocks have a few positions the team can live without recruiting in 2012.  These positions are already deep enough and solid enough to make a splash this season without the freshman boost. Begin Slideshow

South Carolina entered the offseason hoping to avoid many coaching losses.They did a fairly decent job of doing so. The biggest disappointment was losing assistant head coach Ellis Johnson to Southern Mississippi, where he will be the head coach.  Other vacancies included the running backs, linebackers and special teams coaching positions. While three out of the four positions were filled with lesser known coaches, Steve Spurrier has proven to be a great judge of coaching talent.These men have been trusted with coaching players during one of South Carolina's most hyped years ever—2012 could be a turning point in the program. So who did the Head Ball Coach give the keys to?Let's introduce your new South Carolina Gamecock coaches. Begin Slideshow

The South Carolina Gamecocks football program has come a long way in a decade.  From 0-11, to winning 11 games for the first time, the Gamecock football program has been an ever-evolving and improving entity.Finally, after years of toiling in mediocrity with some flashes of brilliance, the Gamecocks have the tools that they need to compete for an SEC and national championship. There are a few things that separate a great program from an average one: Facilities, recruiting and coaching are just a few of the pieces. Expectations, fan enthusiasm and opponent respect must be there as well.While those aren't on-the-field factors, they are just as important as the others. The Gamecocks finally have every factor rolling in their favor.  South Carolina's facilities are top notch.  Steve Spurrier set out to improve them from day one of his coaching tenure, and he has succeeded in that end.  Recruits are impressed by the weight room and player facilities, and parents love the new academics center.The Gamecocks are slowly becoming a consistent factor in the SEC East, but the expectations on a national level are much higher.  Opponents no longer expect a win against the Gamecocks.  They know they are in for a tough out no matter what.  Some opponents even view the Gamecocks like the Gamecocks used to view Florida, Tennessee and Georgia. In other words, there is no chance of victory. The team doesn't need to build anymore—they just reload, as cliche as that sounds.  This year, the Gamecocks lose a few solid pieces.  Alshon Jeffery, Antonio Allen, Stephon Gilmore, Melvin Ingram and Kyle Nunn are huge players that performed at an All-American or All-SEC level.  Instead of the team worrying about their losses, they wonder about which great player will be the next star.  Alshon Jeffery's replacement will be one of many special receivers already on the roster, or one of the highly touted freshmen coming in. Stephon Gilmore will be replaced by Vic Hampton, who proved to be a star in the making and a borderline shut-down corner in his first season.  Melvin Ingram will be replaced by Jadeveon Clowney.  Kyle Nunn will be replaced by the incredible freshman Brandon Shell. Antonio Allen will be the toughest to replace, but the team will find someone. The Gamecocks truly have the tools to win the SEC.  In fact, that now has to be the ultimate goal.  They have a great shot next year.  Even though the schedule is difficult, the Gamecocks need to utilize the school's athletic rally cry to the fullest...Win Anyway. Read more South Carolina Football news on BleacherReport.com

It's official.  South Carolina finished the season ranked No. 8 in the Coaches Poll and No. 9 in the AP poll.  This puts a great big stamp on a historic 2011.  As the final feather in the cap, the Gamecocks have a great deal to crow about.  Let's take one final look at all this team accomplished: -Finshed with 11 wins for the first time in school history. -Finished 6-0 in the SEC East. -Beat Clemson for the third straight season, officially showing that the tide has turned.  -Lost their starting running back and quarterback, and still won. -Won the most prestigious bowl that the team has ever played in dominating fashion.  -Finished third in total defense.    The Gamecocks also finished off a historic two-year span that will go down as a defining turning point in the program's long-standing history.  -Won 20 games in two years.  -Finished 8-0 against Clemson, Florida, Georgia and Tennessee in two seasons. -Won the SEC East in 2010 and was the best team against Eastern teams in 2011.  -Finished ranked for two years straight.  It has been an incredibly fun and rewarding journey following the team in 2011.  Now, the fun part.  2012 will be a season with even higher expectations than this season.  Two goals have been accomplished these last two years.  Winning 11 games, and winning the SEC East.  Now, the sights will be set higher.  It has to be SEC Championship or bust next year.  It should be.  You are returning a quarterback who showed flashed of absolute brilliance this year and whose preparation and determination could make him one of the SEC's finest quarterbacks.  A Heisman candidate runner is returning from injury.  The Gamecocks proved that they have the depth to compete with anyone, and with another potential top-10 recruiting class coming, they have more coming.   That's how good programs think.  South Carolina is now a good program.  Make no mistake.  However, they have a ways to go before they can be considered elite, or even a top-10 program.  The team won't get cocky.  The fans shouldn't get cocky.  This was a wonderful stepping stone in the grand scheme of things, but there is more out there. You should be excited.  The best is yet to come. Read more South Carolina Football news on BleacherReport.com

It's official. 
South Carolina finished the season ranked No. 8 in the Coaches Poll and No. 9 in the AP poll.  This puts a great big stamp on a historic 2011. 
As the final feather in the cap, the Gamecocks have a great deal to crow about.  Let's take one final look at all this team accomplished:
-Finshed with 11 wins for the first time in school history.
-Finished 5-0 in the SEC East.
-Beat Clemson for the third straight season, officially showing that the tide has turned. 
-Lost their starting running back and quarterback, and still won.
-Won the most prestigious bowl that the team has ever played in dominating fashion. 
-Finished third in total defense.   
The Gamecocks also finished off a historic two-year span that will go down as a defining turning point in the program's long-standing history. 

-Won 20 games in two years. 
-Finished 8-0 against Clemson, Florida, Georgia and Tennessee in two seasons.
-Won the SEC East in 2010 and was the best team against Eastern teams in 2011. 
-Finished ranked for two years straight. 
It has been an incredibly fun and rewarding journey following the team in 2011.  Now, the fun part.  2012 will be a season with even higher expectations than this season.  Two goals have been accomplished these last two years.  Winning 11 games, and winning the SEC East. 
Now, the sights will be set higher. 
It has to be SEC Championship or bust next year.  It should be.  You are returning a quarterback who showed flashed of absolute brilliance this year and whose preparation and determination could make him one of the SEC's finest quarterbacks.  A Heisman candidate runner is returning from injury.  The Gamecocks proved that they have the depth to compete with anyone, and with another potential top-10 recruiting class coming, they have more coming.  
That's how good programs think.  South Carolina is now a good program.  Make no mistake.  However, they have a ways to go before they can be considered elite, or even a top-10 program. 
The team won't get cocky.  The fans shouldn't get cocky.  This was a wonderful stepping stone in the grand scheme of things, but there is more out there. You should be excited. 
The best is yet to come. Read more South Carolina Football news on BleacherReport.com