COLUMBIA — Mike Furrey may have come to South Carolina football in a bit of chaotic fashion — through no fault of his own — but now that he's here, he's ready for the wide receivers to produce.

After Justin Stepp spent three years as the wide receiver coach of the Gamecocks, he moved to tight ends coach after the 2023 season before leaving South Carolina for a job at Illinois. On Jan. 12, coach Shane Beamer announced James Coley as the new receivers coach, only for him to leave 43 days later to take a job at Georgia.

On Feb. 29, Furrey was hired. Now, he oversees the wide receiver room, which is filled with fresh faces who all want the same job this season.

At South Carolina's media day on Aug. 1, Beamer said the biggest question mark and most prominent battle is at the receiver position. As of now, nobody is the clear option to replace last year's go-to guy, Xavier Legette, who was drafted by the Carolina Panthers in April.

Furrey thinks it's refreshing to have few returning players. It's healthy and exciting and avoids detrimental comfortability in the offseason.

"There's a lot of people who haven't proven it yet, but the best way to earn it is to compete, and when you have a competitive room like that, the guys who are going to earn it are going to be pretty good," Furrey said.

Furrey doesn't care to hear how good a player says he can be; he cares about the preparation and performance. He knows as players practice throughout August and discover their own potential and what their teammates can do, they'll earn respect for one another. Furrey says that's when things start falling into place.

"Competition is the best way to do it. It's how your room decides itself," Furrey said.

Despite their limited amount of time together, Furrey's players speak highly of him.

"I got the upmost respect for him," Dalevon Campbell, a sixth-year player who transferred to the Gamecocks after time at Nevada and Illinois, said Tuesday. "He has expectations that he wants you to meet and you have to have expectations for yourself that are higher than his. He pushes you ... the way he talks, do things, you want to run through a wall for him."

There are 15 players with an even chance right now, but that number will be significantly reduced as South Carolina gets ready for its season opener against Old Dominion on Aug. 31 (4:15 p.m., SEC Network).

Among those 15 are five transfer receivers: Campbell, Jared Brown, Ahmari Huggins-Bruce, Gage Larvadain and Vandrevius Jacobs. The five newbies are competing with freshman Mazeo Bennett, a four-star high school recruit from Greenville, and sophomore Tyshawn Russell. Both got reps in the spring game.

Also returning for the Gamecocks is Nyck Harbor, who is playing catch-up after missing the spring while competing on the track team. Harbor is South Carolina's tallest receiver at 6-foot-4.

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During the summer, Furrey led team bonding events such as miniature golf, spike ball tournaments and paintball. He also hosted numerous cookouts at his house with his wife and three children to create a sense of community with his family and players.

"Getting the guys together (off the field) earns trust, it earns respect and opens up an unbelievable line of communication. ... These kids need that," Furrey said. "They're far from home and still young, they all have a future in something past football."

Furrey said he now catches his sons playing the EA Sports College Football 25 video game as South Carolina receivers.

Lulu Kesin covers South Carolina athletics for The Greenville News and the USA TODAY Network. Email her at lkesin@gannett.com and follow her on X, formerly known as Twitter, @Lulukesin

This article originally appeared on Greenville News: How South Carolina football's Mike Furrey is challenging receivers