2011 South Carolina Gamecocks football team

The 2011 South Carolina Gamecocks football team represented the University of South Carolina in the 2011 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Gamecocks were led by seventh-year head coach Steve Spurrier and played their home games at Williams-Brice Stadium. They are a member of the Eastern Division of the Southeastern Conference and finished 11-2 for the season and 6–2 in SEC play. While they finished undefeated in the Eastern Division, a 44-28 loss to Arkansas left them second in the division behind Georgia. In the Capital One Bowl, they defeated Nebraska 30–13. The 11 wins were a school record; it was only the second time in the school's 119-year football history that it won as many as 10 games. They also finished eighth in the final Coaches' Poll and ninth in the final AP Poll—their first-ever top-10 finishes in any major poll.

Preseason
On April 10, 2011, the Garnet squad defeated the Black squad, 21–17, in the annual Garnet & Black Spring Game, in front of a crowd of 30,100.

Depth chart
Projected starters and primary backups versus Clemson on November 26, 2011.

Awards

 * Antonio Allen – AP Second-Team All-SEC; AP Second-Team All-American
 * A.J. Cann – Coaches SEC All-Freshman Team
 * Jadeveon Clowney – Coaches Second-Team All-SEC; Coaches SEC All-Freshman Team; SEC Freshman of the Year; Sporting News All-Freshman Team
 * Bruce Ellington – SEC Co-Freshman of the Week, 10/17/11; Coaches SEC All-Freshman Team
 * Melvin Ingram – Walter Camp National Defensive Player of the Week, 9/11/11; SEC Special Teams Player of the Week, 9/12/11; SEC Defensive Player of the Week, 9/26/11; SEC Defensive Player of the Week, 10/3/11; AP & Coaches First-Team All-SEC; AFCA All-American Team; Walter Camp First-Team All-American; AP First-Team All-American; Sporting News All-American Team
 * Alshon Jeffrey – AP Second-Team All-SEC; Capital One Bowl MVP
 * Marcus Lattimore – SEC Co-Offensive Player of the Week, 9/19/11; AP & Coaches Second-Team All-SEC
 * Mike Matulis – Sporting News All-Freshman Team
 * Travian Robertson – SEC Defensive Lineman of the Week, 10/14/11
 * Connor Shaw – SEC Offensive Player of the Week, 10/10/11; SEC Co-Offensive Player of the Week, 11/28/11
 * D.J. Swearinger – SEC Co-Defensive Player of the Week, 10/17/11
 * Rokevious Watkins – SEC Offensive Lineman of the Week, 9/5/11; AP First-Team All-SEC; Coaches Second-Team All-SEC
 * Brandon Wilds – SEC Freshman of the Week, 10/31/11
 * Dalton Wilson – Capital One Academic All-America Second Team

Coaching staff

 * Steve Spurrier – Head Coach
 * Ellis Johnson – Assistant Head Coach & Defense Assistant Coach
 * Lorenzo Ward – Defensive Coordinator & Cornerbacks
 * John Butler – Special Teams Coordinator
 * Shawn Elliott – Offensive Line/Running Game Coordinator
 * Craig Fitzgerald – Strength & Conditioning
 * Jay Graham – Running Backs/Tight Ends
 * Jeep Hunter – Safeties
 * Brad Lawing – Defensive Line
 * G.A. Mangus – Quarterbacks
 * Steve Spurrier, Jr. – Wide Receivers