COLUMBIA — Steve Spurrier thinks South Carolina finally looks like a winning Southeastern Conference team. Whether it plays like one this fall is perhaps the biggest question facing the Gamecocks’ coach.

The Gamecocks are bigger, stronger, fitter and sleeker than his first three seasons. Spurrier said with pride Tuesday. “If you look at our team physically, I think you’d say, ’Hey, that’s the best-looking team we’ve had here in a long time,”’ Spurrier said.

He’s not ready to take the next leap, remembering clearly how last year’s 6-1 start devolved into five straight defeats and no bowl game.

“We have not had a really good team,” said Spurrier, entering his fourth season. “We must get our players playing at a higher effort level.”

Spurrier hopes he’s taken steps to achieve that with offseason hires in defensive coordinator Ellis Johnson and special teams coordinator Ray Rychleski.

Johnson takes over for Tyrone Nix, who left for a similar position at Ole Miss. Johnson led seemingly overmatched defenses at Mississippi State to respectable performances the past four season. The Bulldogs finished with the league’s fifth-best unit overall in 2007 — four spots ahead of the Gamecocks.

Rychleski was hired from Maryland to end the breakdowns in special teams, like the blocked kick by Clemson that led to a touchdown in its 23-21 victory last November.

“When there’s a loose ball out there, hopefully, we’re not standing around watching it,” Spurrier said.

That’s a reference to another of South Carolina’s heartbreakers last season when it wiped out Tennessee’s 21-0 lead to go in front 24-21. On the Vols’ tying drive, however, Tennessee recovered a fumble that squirted past several Gamecock defenders when falling on it would’ve likely sealed victory.

“We’ve been doing that. We’ve been standing around watching it. That’s the reason we’ve lost some of those close ones,” he said.

Spurrier hinted that his quarterback corps could get a boost earlier than it expected should suspended freshman Stephen Garcia get the thumbs up from the university to return.

Garcia is a highly regarded quarterback prospect who’s had three run-ins with police since arriving on campus in January 2007. He has missed spring practices the last two years and was barred from the team until Aug. 15. Garcia had several requirements set down by the university to come back.

Spurrier has said he thought Garcia had done a good job in meeting those guidelines. He was hopeful when the team reports Thursday night, Garcia would be there. The Gamecocks’ first practice is Friday.

Spurrier stressed he was “out of the loop” on the decision.

“I do not know if he’ll be there this Thursday night. Certainly, we’re hoping he will be there, but that’s in the hands of our university and those who are in charge of that,” Spurrier said.

No matter what happens with Garcia, Spurrier’s happy to go forward with expected starter Tommy Beecher, backup Chris Smelley “and whoever else” is in camp, the coach said.

The Gamecocks were picked in their usual spot behind Florida, Georgia and Tennessee in the SEC Eastern Division last week. The 63-year-old Spurrier, though, seems just as eager as ever to change the middle-of-the-pack program into a title contender. “I’ve sensed nothing but a determination to get this program to a topflight level,” said Johnson, the Gamecocks defensive coordinator.

In past summers, Spurrier has complained about too many players showing too little effort during offseason drills. This time, he’s seen the effort pick up in the weight room. Now, he’d like that to move to game days this fall.

“If we can get better in a lot of little areas, maybe those close games will start coming our way,” he said.

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