The Feed Pail: Post-Christmas, Pre-Bowl Edition

Welcome back to the feed pail, where we take a look around the internet for some choice South Carolina Gamecocks tidbits and share them back here with you. As you’d expect, things have been a bit quiet over the Christmas break, but there are still some notes worth passing on.

First, a couple Belk Bowl updates

After arriving in Charlotte, South Carolina coach Will Muschamp met briefly with the media to dole out some tidbits about the Gamecocks’ preparation for Virginia this week.

Freshman linebacker Ernest Jones, who has already played in four games this season, will burn his redshirt to play in the bowl.

With the absence of injured stalwart Zack Bailey, the Gamecocks’ offensive line will experience some shuffling. A preview of that was on display at practice this morning.

If you were intrigued by the idea of A.J. Turner playing corner, you’re in luck, because you’ll see more of that on Saturday.

And now, the fun stuff! After practicing at a local high school, the Gamecocks headed over to Charlotte Motor Speedway to put “All gas, no brakes” into practice. (Well, hopefully there were some brakes.)

Dakeron Joyner may not have been scared, but on the other hand, Ty’Son Williams looks a little uncertain before takeoff here.

It’s nice to see the players having some fun since they’re not home for the holidays.

A’ja Wilson has a special Christmas moment

The former South Carolina star and WNBA Rookie of the Year with the Las Vegas Aces reflected a bit on the incredible year she’s had, which has culminated in kids getting her jersey for Christmas. What a wonderful ambassador she continues to be for this university.

D.J. Swearinger claimed on waivers by the Arizona Cardinals — Jacob Bogage, The Washington Post

Never one to beat around the bush, former Gamecock safety D.J. Swearinger made some critical and candid comments about the Redskins’ defensive playcalling after Washington’s loss to Tennessee last week. The incident went viral and the organization’s brass was not exactly amused — Swearinger found himself quickly back on the job market, despite being one of Washington’s most productive defenders. Just as quickly, though, he was snapped back up by his former team, the Arizona Cardinals. This is a look from the DC point of view of how things played out, featuring plenty of quotes from Swagg, who still seems quite bewildered by the whole thing. While I’m glad he found a landing spot, this would have been interesting:

Never a dull moment with Swearinger, that’s for sure.

‘The first face they see’: How Jessica Jackson helps South Carolina recruiting — Andrew Ramspacher, The State

Now that the early signing period frenzy is over, here’s an interesting behind-the-scenes look at how one facet of the recruiting apparatus ticks at South Carolina, focusing on campus director Jessica Jackson (who also has an active Twitter presence). That’s gotta be a hectic job.