As South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier continues to knock down talk that he’ll be retiring, a reader has forwarded to us an odd report from Phil Kornblut, a reporter who routinely covers the Gamecocks.In a blurb regarding the decision of senior receiver Freddie Brown, Jr. to transfer to a new school, Kornblut mentions that, according to Brown’s father, “non-starting rising seniors on the team are being encouraged to look for new programs."If this is true, why would it be happening? Are Spurrier and company merely looking to clear out guys who won’t be contributing, or are they suggesting in a roundabout way that these guys are likely to be completed disregarded if/when there’s a new coach who’s intent on developing his own guys?We simply don’t understand why any head coach would want to lose depth, especially when the players have extensive experience in the system. Injuries happen all the time. Any coach in his right mind would want to go five deep or more at every position with highly-talented players, like the powerhouse schools did in the days before cable television made the many other programs viable options for guys who wanted a better crack at getting game reps.With each passing day since the end of the team’s season, it becomes less likely that Spurrier will quit. But it could be that Spurrier is hanging around until the incoming class of recruits sign their letters of intent next month.Also in South Carolina, tight end Jared Cook will enter the NFL draft, despite pleas from his family to stay put. Linebacker Eric Norwood, who previously said he’d leave for the draft, has decided to stay.
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