Ellis Johnson set to make a return to Columbia as part of Will Muschamp's defensive staff

Will Mushcamp continues to fill in some holes in his new staff at South Carolina. After bringing on South Carolina high school legend Bobby Bentley to coach running backs, news broke Ellis Johnson will be making a return stop in Columbia to aid the defense.

What does this mean for the Gamecocks defensive efforts going forward?

Well, for one, the 63 year-old Johnson led one of the most successful defenses in Gamecock history from 2008-2011 under head coach Steve Spurrier. Sure, Johnson was blessed with some great players during that stretch, but he was the guy in charge, and the guy calling the schemes. Under Johnson, South Carolina's defense finished in the top 15 nationally in total defense in three years, and was the nation's third ranked defense in his last year.

While Muschamp doesn't rely on one specific scheme for his defense, Johnson's knowledge and experience running the 4-2-5 should only help the already familiar Gamecocks as they get used to Muschamp's more complex system.

With Travaris Robinson already committed as defensive coordinator, it's unsure exactly what capacity Johnson will fill in for Muschamp at this point, but all signs point to him coaching the linebackers, the position he was in charge of in his first stint on the Gamecocks staff as DC.

After leaving Columbia in 2011, Johnson took over the Southern Miss head coaching job for one year and served as Auburn defensive coordinator the next.

After back-to-back seasons of incompetence on defense, it's definitely nice to see a group of experienced recruiters and coaches come together to coach the Gamecocks D going forward.