South Carolina Football: 7 questions for the Gamecocks as spring practice begins

South Carolina Football's 7 Spring Practice Questions:
Which freshmen could see the field early?

The Gamecocks signed a top-12 class in the country in terms of average recruit ranking, and most of the incoming freshmen have already enrolled at the University of South Carolina and have started working with the team.

The biggest names in the class are 5-star prospects Dylan Stewart (EDGE) and Josiah Thompson (offensive tackle), and the two high school All-Americans will have all eyes on them at times this spring. Stewart could be fighting for early playing time as a position of need, while Thompson weighed in at 265 pounds at the All-American Bowl but is listed at 300 pounds at USC.

4-star offensive tackle Kam Pringle has been out with an injury most of the time since his enrollment, so checking in on the 330-pounder's health will be a major priority for many. Markee Anderson missed his entire true freshman season last year with a knee issue, so this will be his freshman campaign, as well.

Dante Reno likely won't see the field at quarterback during his first year on campus, but as a 4-star quarterback prospect, he will still garner plenty of attention during spring practice.

First-year wide receivers Mazeo Bennett and Debron Gatling will have a clearer path to playing time than many freshmen across the country as the Gamecocks' top returning receiving numbers are 13 catches (Luke Doty) and 195 yards (Nyck Harbor). Can the freshmen pass anyone on the depth chart this spring?

The freshmen linebackers (Fred "JayR" Johnson and Wendell Gregory) are freaky athletes. Could they find situational roles on defense or be contributors on special teams? The young safeties (Kelvin Hunter and David Bucey) are behind veterans on the depth chart, but they appear to be ideal special teamers on coverage units.

Does freshman Mason Love factor into the kicking job at all, or will redshirt senior Alex Herrera take over after Mitch Jeter's transfer?

Being so far away from fall practice, there is still plenty of time before any freshmen will claim spots in the 2-deep, but spring practice could provide some early indicators for which young players are close to contributing.