‘Man, they are good.’ ESPN analyst has Gamecocks among nation’s best

South Carolina football’s recent surge has them No. 23 in the Top 25 polls — and even higher on one national analyst’s list.

SEC Network’s Aaron Murray out the Gamecocks in the Top 12 of his latest Power Rankings after the weekend.

“For those who haven’t seen South Carolina in a bit… man are they good,” the ESPN pundit and former Georgia quarterback posted on his X (Twitter) page.

South Carolina is the only team in Murray’s top 12 that isn’t ranked in the top 12 in the latest Associated Press or USA Today Coaches Poll. Murray had a first-hand look at the Gamecocks on Saturday, as he was on the SEC Network’s broadcast for the game against Vanderbilt.

South Carolina turned in a dominating second half in defeating the Commodores, 28-7, for its third-straight win. It was the first time since 2011 that the Gamecocks won three Southeastern Conference road games in the same season.

Murray isn’t the only national analyst to give the Gamecocks some attention. For the second straight week, ESPN’s Dan Orlovsky gave USC a mention on his X page following the win over Vanderbilt, even suggesting they could be a playoff contender.

“Can either OLE MISS or South Carolina get into the playoff? There is 0 doubt they’re 2 of the best teams in CFB. Congrats to @Lane_Kiffin and @CoachSBeamer,” Orlovsky wrote.

The Gamecocks also could move in the College Football Rankings when they are released Tuesday at 8:30 p.m. on ESPN. They weren’t in the initial CFP Top 25 when they were released last week.

South Carolina will try for its fourth-straight win on Saturday at home against Missouri (4:15 p.m., SEC Network).