Columbia, S.C. — Steve Spurrier cleared up several items Thursday: He's not leaving South Carolina, he's not ceding his role as the Gamecocks' chief strategist and he thinks he's got a special, albeit untested, talent in junior quarterback Tommy Beecher.

"I will oversee all the playcalling. I'm still the offensive coordinator," Spurrier said. "In fact, I plan to spend more time with the quarterbacks and the offense this year than maybe I have in three years."

Spurrier touched on a variety of topics with the Gamecocks two weeks from reporting for fall camp and six weeks from the opener with North Carolina State on Aug. 28.

Among them was the notion that growing frustration and continued stumbles would send Spurrier running from the rebuilding project he accepted after the 2004 season.

Spurrier laughed off the idea that turning the Gamecocks into Southeastern Conference contenders would be anything but a gradual, step-by-step process. "Did you think there was a team here ready to win the SEC?" he said.

The Gamecocks best recruiting class under Spurrier came in 2007, a group considered one of the country's 10 best by many analysts. Those players, Spurrier says, are just ready to flourish.

And Spurrier plans to stick around to see how they fare.

"Everybody talks about how, 'This guy's in his 60s. He's going to walk away from this thing,' " said Spurrier, 63. "I feel just as good as I did when I was in my 40s."

"I'm not trying to brag, but I shot the same number in Lake Tahoe in 1990 as I shot last Sunday," Spurrier said of his participation in last week's celebrity golf tournament. "Physically, I'm the same as I was in 1990 right before I coached my first year at Florida. ... That age thing's a funny thing. But I feel a good five more years easy. I really do. I don't know what else I'd do."

He'll spend the next two years of it trying to turn Beecher into one of the country's top quarterbacks. Spurrier compared Beecher's ability to that of a former Gator star Shane Matthews.

Beecher played sparingly last year in South Carolina's 6-6 season as Blake Mitchell and Chris Smelley split time under center. Beecher, a junior, saw most of his action as the team's holder.

But, with heralded freshman passer Stephen Garcia suspended for a second-straight spring, Beecher outlasted Smelley and came away with the starting job. Spurrier hopes Beecher doesn't let it go.

"We need to quit all this, 'Well, if he doesn't go, then next guy, next guy.' I'm not in favor of that," Spurrier said. "We're waiting on a player to step forward and prove he's our best quarterback. When one does that, than shoot, he's quarterback all the way through if he's clearly our best. Tommy's not had a real good chance yet, so we're going to give him a real, good opportunity to run with it."

Beecher will get 50 percent to 60 percent of practice snaps with the first team, Spurrier said. What happens if Garcia, on a university suspension until Aug. 15, returns? Spurrier says he'll deal with that when it happens.

Gamecocks receivers coach Steve Spurrier Jr. will coordinate playcalling with his father. The elder Spurrier remains in charge and with ultimate control, he assured those worried about him giving up the responsibilities that won him a national title and six SEC titles at Florida.

Spurrier can increase his time on offense because of two big offseason hires in defensive coordinator Ellis Johnson and special teams coordinator Ray Rychleski. Johnson's skill and organization frees up Spurrier to handle what the former Heisman Trophy winner loves most — helping his offense go downfield as much as it can.

As important to Spurrier is keeping things around the team positive, especially after 2007 roller-coaster season. The Gamecocks opened 6-1 and rose to No. 6 in the country. However, they lost their last five games — the longest such streak of Spurrier's stellar career — and failed to make a bowl game.

"We are where we are, but we can get out of it," Spurrier says. "We can get out of it with a little bit better coaching and little bit better play."