This week we’re taking a team-by-team look at some of the intriguing freshmen on SEC teams and who among them could be instant-impact players.

Next up are the South Carolina Gamecocks.

QB Jake Bentley: We’ve all heard Brandon McIlwain’s name already. The ESPN 300 quarterback enrolled early and went through spring practice. He threw for 169 yards and two touchdowns in the spring game. But now there’s another stud freshman on campus. Bentley, originally in the 2017 class, graduated high school a year early and will be eligible to play this fall. Before reclassifying, he was the No. 2 pocket passer and was ranked No. 33 overall in the ESPN Junior 300. At 6-foot-4 and 219 pounds, he has prototypical size and is more of a traditional quarterback than McIlwain. And for those who think Bentley might redshirt, why skip your senior year in high school just to come in and redshirt? This has quickly become one of the more intriguing QB battles to watch with Perry Orth and Lorenzo Nunez returning, plus the two freshmen.

WR Bryan Edwards: You can’t talk about this freshman class and not mention Edwards’ name. The ESPN 300 wide receiver enrolled early and it wasn’t long into spring practice that he was already working with the first-team offense. In the spring game, he caught two touchdowns. And while it was no surprise that star receiver Pharoh Cooper declared early for the NFL, it left the Gamecocks without any proven commodities at the position. Cooper caught more passes in the spring game than all the other wide receivers on the team combined last year. Edwards has already shown that he has the ability to emerge as an early contributor for this South Carolina team, and by going through spring, he has a leg up on the other four incoming receivers.