Mandatory Credit: Jeff Blake-USA TODAY Sports
The South Carolina Gamecocks struggled defending the pass in 2014 for two reasons: (1) a lack of a pass rush and (2) inexperience in the secondary, especially at cornerback. The Gamecocks will have a more experienced bunch heading into the opener against the North Carolina Tarheels on Thursday night.
Rico McWilliams and Chaz Elder will start at cornerback for South Carolina. McWilliams was expected to start heading into fall practice, but Elder has spent most of his career at safety. The expected starter was Chris Lammons, but Elder, to the shock of many, beat him out.
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Back-up will be provided by Lammons and Al Harris Jr. Every player on the two deep has seen a good amount of playing time since stepping on campus. However, they did not necessarily perform up to the level to be considered a success. This position poses one of the biggest questions on the team. Will Jon Hoke be able to coach the cornerbacks up to play at an acceptable level?
With 13 years of NFL experience and 20 years of coaching defensive backs at the collegiate level, his resume certainly would suggest that he’s capable of turning things around. The players at the position are certainly talented enough to turn things around. It seems the only thing left to do is wait and see.
Depth on the position shouldn’t be overly concerning either as the Gamecocks seem to have some talented players that could be capable of stepping up if needed. Let’s take a look at the players and how they stack up.
Next: Chaz Elder