The closer we get to kickoff, the more I find myself liking this South Carolina football team.

And I don’t mean that as a fan.

I’m talking about looking at the roster position by position, looking at where the experience is, looking at the physical talent and, most importantly, looking at how the pieces fit together.

People are going to look at last year’s 4–8 record and immediately dismiss South Carolina.

I think that’s a mistake.

This is a football team with legitimate difference-makers at some of the most important positions on the field. There are still questions, particularly along the offensive line, and there’s another concern that has absolutely nothing to do with personnel: Shane Beamer has to manage games better.

But when I put the entire thing together, I see a team that is sneaky good.

Let’s go position by position.

QUARTERBACK — A

Everything starts with LaNorris Sellers.

I’ve been high on Sellers for a long time because you simply cannot teach what this kid possesses physically.

He’s big. He’s powerful. He’s athletic. He’s got plenty of arm. And when a play breaks down, he can turn something that should have been a six-yard loss into a 25-yard gain.

But we’re beyond talking about potential now.

Sellers has played SEC football.

He’s seen the speed. He’s seen the different pressures. He’s made mistakes. He’s taken hits. He’s experienced success and failure.

That matters.

Now Kendal Briles gets an opportunity to build an offense around those physical abilities.

That’s what excites me.

Sellers shouldn’t have to spend every Saturday playing Superman. Put him in an offense that creates opportunities for him and suddenly his athletic ability becomes a weapon rather than an emergency escape hatch.

If the people around him do their jobs, Sellers has a chance to have a monster season.

Grade: A

RUNNING BACK — B

There may not be one superstar in this room, but I don’t necessarily think South Carolina needs one.

What they need are dependable backs who hit the hole, protect the football, catch it when necessary and — maybe most importantly — protect Sellers.

The quarterback’s running ability is also going to affect how defenses play the running backs.

Any time Sellers is involved in the run game, somebody on that defense has to account for him.

That creates opportunities elsewhere.

I’d still like to see somebody separate himself and become the guy South Carolina trusts when it’s third-and-two with the game on the line.

Until then:

Grade: B

WIDE RECEIVER — B+

This room took a hit with the injuries, but there is still talent here.

And obviously it starts with Nyck Harbor.

At some point we have to stop talking about what Harbor could become and start talking about what he actually produces.

Physically, he’s ridiculous.

A man that size isn’t supposed to move like that.

Now turn it into production.

I think Briles can help tremendously because good offensive coaches manufacture touches for athletes like Harbor. Move him around. Create mismatches. Force defenses to identify where he is before the snap.

South Carolina doesn’t necessarily need somebody catching 100 passes.

They need enough weapons that defenses can’t simply roll coverage toward Harbor and eliminate half the passing game.

I think there’s enough here to do that.

Grade: B+

TIGHT END — B+

I quietly like this group.

A good tight end can become a quarterback’s best friend, particularly against pressure.

And with Sellers’ ability to extend plays, tight ends who understand how to uncover when the original play breaks down can become extremely valuable.

The position also gives Briles flexibility.

You can attach them to the formation. Move them into the slot. Use motion. Create different looks without changing personnel.

That’s important.

Grade: B+

OFFENSIVE LINE — C+

Here we go.

This is the position group that may determine South Carolina’s season.

Last year wasn’t good enough.

Period.

We can talk about scheme, quarterback decisions and running backs all day long, but eventually football becomes a very simple game.

You’ve got to block somebody.

South Carolina didn’t do that consistently enough last season.

I’m not asking this offensive line to suddenly become Georgia.

I’m not even asking it to become one of the best offensive lines in the SEC.

Give me average SEC offensive-line play.

That’s it.

Because Sellers behind an average offensive line is a completely different animal than Sellers running for his life.

If the Gamecocks can consistently establish the running game and give Sellers another second in the pocket, everything else on this offense becomes better.

This is the group I’m watching closer than any other during September.

Grade: C+

DEFENSIVE LINE / EDGE — A

Now we’re talking.

Dylan Stewart is a problem.

Not a South Carolina problem.

An everybody-else-has-to-figure-out-how-the-hell-to-block-him problem.

There aren’t many defensive players in college football who can influence an offensive game plan before the football is snapped.

Stewart can.

Offensive coordinators have to know where he is.

Quarterbacks have to know where he is.

Offensive tackles are going to need help.

Running backs may have to stay in protection.

Tight ends may have to chip him.

And once one defensive player begins forcing an offense to change what it wants to do, everybody else on that defense benefits.

I like the talent around him, too.

This has a chance to be one of the better defensive fronts in the SEC.

And when South Carolina goes to Tuscaloosa, this is exactly why I believe the Gamecocks can give Alabama fits.

Grade: A

LINEBACKER — A-

Experience matters at linebacker.

It’s one of those positions where hesitation gets you blocked.

Veteran linebackers recognize what they’re seeing and attack it.

South Carolina has experience here, and I think this group fits extremely well with what’s happening in front of it.

If the defensive line is creating disruption and forcing running backs to change direction, these linebackers are going to have opportunities to make plays.

I like this room a lot.

Grade: A-

CORNERBACK — B+

I like the athleticism and experience here.

That’s important because South Carolina wants to create pressure.

You can’t be aggressive up front if you’re terrified about what’s happening behind you.

The biggest question for me is depth.

Every secondary in America looks pretty good when the starters are healthy.

Then you get into October in the SEC.

Somebody gets dinged up.

Somebody misses a half.

Suddenly your fourth corner is covering somebody’s No. 2 receiver.

That’s when you find out how deep you really are.

But with the primary guys healthy, I’m comfortable here.

Grade: B+

SAFETY / NICKEL — B+

Another group I feel pretty good about.

There’s experience and athleticism here, but what I really like is the ability it gives South Carolina to disguise things defensively.

I want opposing quarterbacks seeing one picture before the snap and another one afterward.

Make them think.

Make them hesitate.

Make them hold the football for another half-second.

Because when Dylan Stewart is coming around the edge, that half-second matters.

Grade: B+

SPECIAL TEAMS — B-

Normally when you’re talking about a Shane Beamer football team, you expect special teams to be an advantage.

I still think South Carolina will be creative here.

My concern is the kicking game.

SEC games are too close to pretend that doesn’t matter.

At some point this season, South Carolina is going to have the football around the 25-yard line with two minutes remaining and need three points.

Somebody has to make the kick.

Until I see consistency there, I’m staying conservative with this grade.

Grade: B-

COACHING / GAME MANAGEMENT — C

Now we get to the position that technically isn’t a position.

Shane Beamer.

I like Beamer.

I think his players believe in him. I think he’s done a lot of positive things for South Carolina football. I think he genuinely loves the university and understands what the program means to people.

But I’m going to say this as plainly as I can:

His game management has to get better.

Particularly on fourth down.

It drove me crazy last season.

And my problem wasn’t simply that South Carolina failed to convert some fourth downs.

Sometimes you make the right decision and the players don’t execute.

That’s football.

My problem was that there were several situations where I didn’t agree with the decision itself.

There were times South Carolina should have taken the points.

There were times they should have punted and trusted the defense.

And there were other situations where I thought they needed to be aggressive and weren’t.

There’s a difference between aggression and recklessness.

I understand analytics.

I understand the numbers.

But analytics should be information, not a replacement for understanding the football game you’re standing there watching.

What’s the score?

How much time is left?

Who has momentum?

How is your defense playing?

How is your offensive line playing?

Where are you on the field?

And what happens if you don’t convert?

All of that matters.

Sometimes the right decision on fourth-and-three is going for it.

And sometimes the smartest aggressive decision a football coach can make is taking the damn three points.

This becomes even more important because I believe South Carolina is going to play several close games.

When you’re playing Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee and the better teams in this conference, you may get only three or four opportunities that determine the football game.

You cannot give one away with a bad sideline decision.

South Carolina has enough talent to win some big football games this year.

I don’t want to watch them lose one from the sideline.

Grade: C

OVERALL — B+

When I put everything together, here’s what jumps out at me:

South Carolina’s best players occupy positions that can change football games.

They have LaNorris Sellers at quarterback.

They have Dylan Stewart coming off the edge.

They have a freak athlete in Nyck Harbor who can change a game with one touch.

That’s a pretty damn good foundation.

And that’s why I keep coming back to the offensive line.

If that group is bad again, South Carolina is going to struggle.

But if it’s simply average?

Now you’ve got something.

And if it’s actually good?

Then this football team becomes dangerous.

Really dangerous.

Because I already believe the defense is capable of keeping South Carolina in games against the better teams on this schedule.

I believe Sellers is capable of winning games that South Carolina probably shouldn’t win.

I believe Stewart is capable of wrecking an opponent’s offensive game plan.

And I believe Briles can get considerably more out of this offense.

But there’s one other piece to this.

Beamer has to take the next step as a game-day coach.

The players have to execute, but when you get into those fourth-quarter games against Alabama, Georgia and the rest of the SEC, the head coach has to execute too.

That’s why I’m bullish on South Carolina without being blind to its problems.

The Gamecocks don’t need to become great everywhere.

They need the offensive line to become competent.

They need the kicking game to be dependable.

They need Beamer to make better decisions in critical situations.

Do those things, and I think we’re going to look up sometime in October and realize something a lot of people outside South Carolina didn’t see coming.

These Gamecocks are a hell of a lot better than people thought they were.