Everything South Carolina special teams coordinator Joe DeCamillis said during Citrus Bowl media availability

South Carolina football special teams coordinator Joe DeCamillis spoke to the media on Sunday to preview the team’s 2024 season finale. The Gamecocks are set to take on Illinois in the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl on Tuesday.

Here’s everything he had to say.

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On South Carolina’s special teams performance throughout the season

“(We’re) really good in coverage, not as good in the return game as I would like. (We) did some did some good things. (We) had some two-point conversions made, got the one called back early on the touchdown, unfortunately. But I think it’s been a good year. I like what they’ve done; I like their mindset. I think it’s going to be better going forward.”

On replacing South Carolina’s kicker, punter and long snapper next year

“I mean, Mason (Love), luckily, was here the whole year. He was in every warmup, all that kind of stuff, so I feel really good about him as a punter. As a kicker, obviously, we got to replace Alex (Herrera), but we signed a kid (Max Kelley) coming in. And then, we’ll see what else is out in the portal, so there’s a lot of things that are up in the air. Snapper I think is real good, too. We got a good kid (Kyler Farrow) coming in.”

On whether Love will play at kicker or punter

“He’s really mostly focused on punting – that’s really what he’s done. That’s kind of where we spoon-fed him and got him to, and that’s where we think he’s going to be best.”

On how Love has progressed in his development this season

“I think he’s done really well. I think, when you watch him in warmups before the game, he’s gone a great job. Hopefully, that’ll translate into next year. I’m very, very positive with where he’s at.”

On where DeCamillis wants to see improvements in South Carolina’s return game

“Just, like, more production. We’d have holes open; we don’t hit them. We have a penalty – we have those types of things. So, (we) just need to be better in our return game. We’ve got some blocks, obviously, on both field goals and on punts. In my opinion, I want a guy that can put the ball over the goal line when he’s got the ball in his hands and score touchdowns – that’s what I really want to get to in a return game, for sure.”

On South Carolina’s aggressiveness on special teams

“A lot of those things are game situations. You got to remember, now, last year wasn’t as good a year. It’s easier to be aggressive when you’re not as good. When you’re going to be ahead in a lot of games, (it) just doesn’t make sense from a complementary football standpoint to be too aggressive, in my opinion. And, I think, for the most part, we had the right amount of aggression, you know what I mean? So, I think, hopefully, we can continue that.”

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On South Carolina’s special teams miscues throughout the year

“The Ole Miss (fake punt) play – I think we didn’t execute that correctly. That was one that was there that still irritates me beyond no end. It was there, we should have got it, and we didn’t execute it the way we should have, unfortunately. So, that could have maybe changed things at the start of that game, for sure. Now, would it have changed the whole game? Probably not. But (I) like to see that one come through.”

On Kai Kroeger’s quality as a player

“He’s (Kai Kroeger) going to be a pro, in my opinion. If I was still in the NFL, he’d be up on my chart – I can promise you that much. He can do a lot with the ball. He’s a consummate pro. He’s worked his tail off to be where he’s at. And I think he’s going to be a guy that’s going to play in the league for a while. So, (I’m) glad to have coached him (and), hopefully, helped him get better. I think he had a much better year than what he did last year – I think he would tell you that. (I) look forward to see what he’s going to do down the road. And, hopefully, he’ll be around to help some of these younger guys out.”

On Luke Doty’s role on special teams

“Yeah, he’s (Luke Doty) in the two-deep (rotation). A guy like him, he’s competing against a guy like Fred Johnson. Fred Johnson’s a ‘freak athlete’ type guy, so it’s hard to really say Doty’s going to go out and block Fred Johnson. But it’s great to have Doty here. I think he’s going to be a guy that’s going to help us out throughout, for sure.”

On what DeCamillis saw from Johnson and David Bucey this season

“First of all, they’re (Johnson and David Bucey) reliable – those guy were very, very reliable. Second of all, they both showed the athleticism that we want. The kicking game is no different than offense or defense, in my opinion. You got to be able to compete athletically, and those guys can do that. So, I think that’s good. But the other thing is, that’s also going to help them out as far as getting ready to be a defensive player, both those guys.”

On how Herrera has responded to missed kicks early in the season

“I think he did a great job. I mean, you look at the Clemson game, we don’t win that game without Alex Herrera. He did a great job in that game. Nobody talks about that game-winner that he hit for us. I mean, it was 17-14, and that was a product of what he did and how far he came back.”

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