The South Carolina Gamecocks Football coaching staff got some good news yesterday as their checks should look a little nicer. Guess that is the cost of winning and keeping up with the market.

In our view, these raises are justified and deserved. It also keeps the staff together which helps to sustain a program.

Here is a recap of the money spent and to whom...

(Assistant - 2013 salary, 2014 salary)
Deke Adams - $225,000; 250,000
Kirk Botkin - $225,000; 250,000
Grady Brown - $180,000; 200,000
Shawn Elliott - $325,000: 350,000
G.A. Mangus - $175,000; 175,000
Joe Robinson - $325,000; 350,000
Everette Sands - $215,000; $230,00
Steve Spurrier Jr. - $325,000; 350,000
Lorenzo Ward - $650,000 for three years

This has been approved by the USC board of trustees.

The assistants were provided with a two-year contract keeping them with the Gamecocks through 2014. Coach Ward has a three year deal that is set to expire at the end of 2015. Coach Spurrier had his contract extended two years through 2017 back in December.

So again, price of winning and good to see.

There's no question the Southeastern Conference is a football powerhouse, and this includes the South Carolina Gamecocks. The team opened the 2012 season with six straight wins, including a 35-7 shellacking of number five Georgia, before suffering their only two losses of the season, number one to LSU and number two Florida.

It's hard to consider an 11-2 record as disappointing, but South Carolina, led by head coach Steve Spurrier, had intentions to win not only the Southeastern Conference, but the National Championship. A conference team has won the past seven consecutive years, and nine of the 15 contests held since 1998.

Still, the Gamecocks had an exceptional year and this can only happen with extraordinary players. The 2012 version of the South Carolina team includes at least five players projected to go in this year's NFL draft. Here's a look at what each accomplished as a Gamecock and their prospects in the upcoming draft.

Defensive End Devin Taylor

The big defensive end out of Beaufort, SC has an excellent college career, jumping right into the fire after redshirting in 2008. At 6' 8" and nearly 270 pounds, Taylor possesses all the skills necessary to be a starting defensive end in the NFL.

Taylor proved to be one of the strongest tacklers on the team during his four years as a Gamecock, but NFL teams will be interested in teaching him to be a pass rusher, something he also did well in college. His tall, strong frame makes him a good prospect in a professional game of pass-oriented teams.

He could go as early as the second round, which is optimistic, or as late as the sixth. A fourth round selection would not be surprising.

Running Back Marcus Lattimore

We should all be pulling for Marcus Lattimore to do well in the NFL draft. Not only did he make himself eligible for the draft after his junior season, he also suffered a brutal knee injury just a few months ago.

Not only does Lattimore have an incredible story, his entry in the draft raised the level of running back talent this year, banged up knee and all. He's currently rehabilitating his knee with the help of an NFL training staff, which is a good sign.

Because of his knee injury, teams interested in Lattimore will most likely need to be willing to wait a year for a chance at having a franchise running back, which should bring a dozen or so different teams to the table. A second-round selection is highly likely.

Punt Returner / Wide Out Ace Sanders

Ace Sanders was a second-team All-America and was named the SEC's co-special teams player of the year. He also led the Gamecocks with 45 receptions for 531 yards and nine touchdowns. He was also fourth in the nation with a 15.13-yard punt return average and was named MVP of the Outback Bowl, a 33-28 South Carolina win over Michigan. After all this, he decided to leave after his junior year at USC. Was it the right call? Time will tell. He is likely a late round selection.

Outside Linebacker/Safety DeVonte Holloman

DeVonte Holloman is going to give NFL scouts some sleepless nights. The natural strong safety from Charlotte, NC is an excellent tackler, and an extremely gifted athlete, but he's not particularly fast. It's this lack of speed that is the greatest cause for concern among scouts. Nothing spells touchdown faster than a slow safety against a speedy receiver.

Despite his shortcomings, Holloman is an excellent football player and deserves a shot at going pro. Any team looking for a talented athlete to play on special teams will be looking at Holloman somewhere in the fifth or sixth round. He could easily find a home for many seasons to come.

Safety D.J. Swearinger

The Gamecocks' second leading tackler, with 80 tackles in his final season, is the kind of free safety NFL scouts want to get in front of coaching staffs adept at mentoring good talent into top talent. At 5' 11", Swearinger is a tad short, but his skills as an open-field tackler more than make up for this.

Swearinger is also a fearless player, which accounts for the way he plays the game. Teams looking for good special teams players look for courageous players, which describes him perfectly. He's projected as a mid-round selection—fourth or fifth—but has the potential of moving up the board. If a team is looking for best available talent, D.J. Swearinger will be among the top considerations.

Center T.J. Johnson

Because of his athleticism and experience, South Carolina center T.J. Johnson could be drafted in this year's NFL draft. However, at 6' 5" and 318 pounds, he's not a top prospect at the center position. He lacks the ability get any leverage against shorter, stronger defensive lineman, which is problematic in the NFL because of the need to be a pass-blocker.

If Johnson does not get drafted, and this is likely, he could still find himself invited to training camp for one or more teams.

This year's NFL draft will be April 25-27 and the Kansas City Chiefs have the first selection. Which South Carolina player do you think has the most potential?

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Andy has lived in several different areas of the United States. He has worked as a freelance journalist for  The Daily Herald before being hired by a South Carolina satellite TV provider. When he is not watching sports programs, Andy can be found writing sports articles for Athlete Anthem.

Good luck to seven former South Carolina football players as they will be representing the Gamecocks in the upcoming NFL Combine.

The seven Gamecocks that were invited are:

1. Justice Cunningham - TE
2. DeVonte Holloman - LB/SPUR
3. T.J. Johnson - OL
4. Marcus Lattimore - RB
5. Ace Sanders - WR
6. D.J. Swearinger - S
7. Devin Taylor - DE

Ace Sanders is the lone early entrant to the NFL draft as  he decided to exit the program after finishing his junior year at USC. The rest have had their time at USC expire.

The NFL Combine begins on Feb. 20th so keep a eye out on how these men perform. Most of the above will be late round pickups but you never know as the Combine is a time to shine and improve the draft stock. Regardless, we wish them luck and appreciate their tenure as members of Gamecock Nation. The program is better because of them.

Lost in shuffle of seven consecutive BCS titles, dominating recruiting, dominating the NFL draft, and anticipated television networks a funny thing happened. Attendance at SEC football games dropped.  The SEC continued to lead the nation at 75,444 fans per game, but that was its lowest average since 2007. SEC crowds are down 2 percent since peaking in 2008 at 76,844.

It is hard to believe, but the SEC’s championship streak is older than the iPhone. The first iPhone was released in the summer of 2007. The first tweet was sent in July of 2006 about the time Urban Meyer was attending his second SEC media days and was trying to ward off a quarterback controversy between senior incumbent Chris Leak and true freshman phenom Tim Tebow. Technology (particularly the affordability of large HD TVs) and how we absorb information, especially sports information has changed drastically in the last half dozen years. This is partly responsible for a drop in attendance.

Remember what you would during a TV timeout five or six years ago? Maybe try and get a text out to grab a score from a buddy at home. Chat with the fans around you or jaw with an opposing fan a couple seats down. Now, everyone sits down, pulls out their phones, gripes about poor connections and tries to check twitter to see what is going on in the other games of note. If you are under 40 and something else happens in your section, let me know.

According to many reliable reports, South Carolina defensive line coach Brad Lawing is vacating his position under Coach Steve Spurrier to become part of Will Muschamp's defensive staff at the University of Florida Gators.

Not fully sure of the reasons for the departure but on the surface it does not make a lot of sense. For Lawing, he is giving up the chance to coach Jadeveon Clowney one more season and put a stamp on his legacy as a great line coach. Not to mention, he has spent 17 total seasons in Columbia. I guess Coach Muschamp made a offer either via the money angle or the coaching responsibilites route that Lawing could not turn down.

Hate to see this and this loss stings. Not sure why but it does. I guess cause it is Lawing or because it is the Gators. Either way, hate to see this news today.

One thing is certain, the Gamecocks will not have a hard time finding someone to come in given back-to-back 11 win seasons not to mention the talent the line has already in place. Lawing was a good one and seemed to be a solid member of the staff, which again makes this so surprising, but coaching is a business. Time to begin the new chapter.... 

The South Carolina Gamecocks basketball team lost today versus the Vanderbilt Commodores by the score of 58-51 but there was a cool video shown at halftime. Check out this football highlight video:

Here is the South Carolina football highlights from the 2012 regular season, check it out:

The 2012 South Carolina Gamecocks football season has officially ended, so we might as start focusing on the 2013 season.  Here is a (way too) early look at the schedule and how things look now....  

NORTH CAROLINA

The Tar Heels were unable to find a way to back out of the return game of a home and home contract.  It certainly wasn't for trying.  This game was also tenatively scheduled to open the season on a Thursday, but is now slated for Saturday.  It will be an ugly opening game as most of them are, but Carolina shouldn't have much trouble with the Tar Heels and should open 1-0.

@ Georgia

If you like hearing hype about Aaron Murray and Gurshall, this is the off season for you.  Expect to hear about how close the Bulldogs were in Atlanta against Alabama and how wonderful the UGa offense will be.  All that aside, Aaron Murray has the change to be the greatest Bulldog quarterback in South Carolina history.  I expect a shoot out in Athens like 2011, but I think the Dawgs finally get over the hump with their offensive firepower and a relatively inexperienced USC secondary. 1-1 (0-1)

VANDERBILT

This game won't be same old Vanderbilt, and as long as James Franklin is there we'll be obliged to begin all comments on the Commodores that way.  The Dores are still a recruiting class or two away.  South Carolina should win this game by about 10, something like 24-14.  2-1, (1-1).

More after the jump....

Last Monday South Carolina junior receiver Ace Sanders indicated he would be coming back to school for his senior year.  Last night he indicated he is going to turn pro.  Yesterday, January 15, was the last day underclassmen could declare for the NFL draft.

There is now a second deadline looming.  January 18th is the last day a declared underclassman can remove his name from the NFL draft and return to school.  To do that the player cannot sign with an agent and can't do anything else to lose his eligibility, i.e., accept gifts, benefits, etc.

I wouldn't count on Ace changing his mind in the next three days, but he has changed it once, so it could happen.  All reports have indicated that this was a close decision for Sanders which probably explains the change of heart.

Remember 2010? At the time, it seemed the SEC West was set to reign supreme. Nick Saban had won the 2009 BCS title. Auburn won it in 2010. LSU won in 2007 and had an NFL pipeline of talent. Bobby Petrino had elevated Arkansas to a contender.

The SEC East on the other hand was as bad as it had ever been. Florida had tumbled from the top of the mountain to an Urban Meyer made Swamp of mediocrity. Mark Richt was on the hot seat after losing to UCF in the Liberty Bowl. Tennessee was a mess with Derek Dooley being the 3rd man in three years to be head coach in Knoxville. South Carolina had a break through year as a program, but won the school's first division title on a 5-3 conference record before getting blown out by Auburn.

Funny how things change in two short years. Bobby Petrino lost control of his motorcycle, got fired, and Arkansas is now rebuilding. After two close but no cigar years in Baton Rouge, LSU is hemorrhaging talent with nine underclassmen declaring for the draft. Auburn ran out of Cam Newtons and Chizik got run off after posting an 0-8 conference record in 2012. Alabama still reigns supreme, and new comer Texas A&M appears to be the closest challenger (yes, Aggies, I am aware y'all did win in Tuscaloosa). After that, there is a significant drop in the West.

Steve Spurrier has elevated South Carolina to official contender status as the Gamecocks have passed Tennessee and join Florida and Georgia at the top of the East. Mark Richt has new life in Athens after winning back-to-back SEC East tites and coming up five yards short of an SEC title. Will Muschamp in year two, posted 11 wins including wins over Texas A&M, LSU, South Carolina, and Florida State. No doubt Alabama is top dog, but for 2013, the toughest division in the conference is the SEC East.

Looks like the balance of power, minus Alabama, has shifted to the SEC East....right?