Quick Hits With James Thompson

Junior offensive lineman James Thompson has spent his first two years at South Carolina playing mostly in a reserve role. However, Thompson is expected to man the starting right guard spot and play an important role in the success of the Gamecock offense this season. GamecockAnthem recently caught up with Thompson, and he took the time to share his goals and expectations for the 2006 season.

Question: Do you have any goals for the upcoming season?

Answer: Right now my goal is to help the offensive line the best I can. We had a pretty good summer, and I feel that we’ve improved a lot. Right now I’m just trying to help my teammates have a better year this year.

Question: How did the summer workouts go for you?

Answer: I started off a little rough, but at the end, I feel like I finished strong.

Question: Do you believe that this year’s offensive line could be better than last season?

Answer: I feel that we can be better than last year, because we work harder as a group. I just feel that we’re a lot more together, and we’re going to get the job done this year.

Question: What are your expectations for the offense, as a whole, this season?

Answer: For the offense, I feel like with Cory Boyd coming back this year, I feel that he’ll help us out a lot. I feel like our receivers are going to do a good job, and Blake (Mitchell) is comfortable with the offense, and he’s going to do an excellent job this year as well.

Question: Is the offensive line more comfortable now that you are in your second year under Offensive Line Coach John Hunt?

Answer: Coach Hunt is a good coach. He knows everything on offense. He knows what the receivers are supposed to do. He knows everything. It’s his second year here, and I feel that the offensive line is going to be more comfortable than we were last year. This is our second year in the offense, and we’ll be more experienced. I just feel that we’re going to have a good year this year.