South Carolina football: Seven Gamecocks selected to Phil Steele’s All-SEC teams

Phil Steele has released his annual list of preseason all-conference selections for the upcoming season, and seven members of the South Carolina football team made the cut.

The South Carolina football season is getting closer, and with that come projections on which players will receive postseason accolades for their performance in 2020. Phil Steele, a writer that follows the sport at the collegiate level, has released his four preseason All-SEC teams ahead of the season’s start.

On the four teams, you’ll find seven Gamecocks. None were selected to make the first team, but South Carolina was represented on the second, third, and fourth teams. The players recognized were offensive lineman Sadarius Hutcherson, cornerback Jaycee Horn, defensive back Israel Mukuamu, linebacker Ernest Jones, tight end Nick Muse, wide receiver Shi Smith, and defensive end JJ Enagbare.

Here’s an announcement from the university’s athletic communications office.

"The Gamecocks were represented by Sadarius Hutcherson, Jaycee Horn and Israel Mukuamu on the second team, Ernest Jones and Nick Muse on the third team and Shi Smith and Kingsley Enagbare on the fourth-team squad.Hutcherson, a 6-4, 320-pound fifth-year senior offensive lineman from Huntingdon, Tenn., is the most experienced player on the roster, having appeared in 35 games, including 29 starts. A returning starter at left tackle, Hutcherson worked primarily at guard in the spring, a position he has played extensively in his career.Horn, a 6-1, 205-pound junior cornerback from Alpharetta, Ga., has collected 85 tackles and 17 pass breakups over the past two seasons. He was a member of the 2018 SEC All-Freshman team and was considered the team’s Most Productive Player on defense as a true freshman.Mukuamu, a 6-4, 205-pound defensive back from Bossier City, La., was an AP second-team All-SEC selection a year ago. He led the team with four interceptions, including three in the upset win over third-ranked Georgia. A starter in 14-consecutive games, Mukuamu was named to the 2020 Lott IMPACT Trophy preseason watch list.Jones, a 6-2, 230-pound junior from Waycross, Ga., is the vocal leader of the Gamecock defense. He posted a team-high 97 tackles a season ago, 20 more than any other player on the squad, while ranking fourth in the SEC with 8.1 tackles per game from his MIKE linebacker position.Muse, a 6-4, 250-pound senior tight end is in his second year with the Gamecocks after transferring from William & Mary. In his first season at Carolina, he hauled in 17 passes for 158 yards in eight games before suffering an ACL injury.Smith, 5-10, 190-pound senior, is the Gamecocks’ top returning receiver. He logged 43 receptions for 489 yards a season ago, and owns 117 career catches for 1,571 yards and nine touchdowns. He enters his final season ranked in a tie for 12th on the school’s all-time receptions list.Enagbare is a 6-4, 275-pound junior defensive lineman who has shown a knack for rushing the quarterback. “JJ” collected 3.5 sacks and 7.0 tackles for loss along with three quarterback hurries a season ago, primarily in a backup role."

Should these selections come to fruition, fans could be watching a stingy Carolina defense in 2020. Four of the seven selections play on the defensive side of the ball, with corners Horn and Mukuamu being the headliners. Jones has been a steady presence in the middle of the unit for the last two seasons, while Enagbare looks to breakout in his first starting role.

On offense, Shi Smith has been a reliable target for three years. He’ll look to be the go-to option for Ryan Hilinski. Hutcherson is an NFL talent that should get an opportunity to play professionally following his senior season. Muse is a bit of a wildcard, as he’s recovering from an ACL tear. He has a chance to be one of the more athletic tight ends in the conference, but will need to show that he’s back to 100%. If so, he’ll have a high ceiling in 2020 as he looks to take over the starting role left by the departed Kyle Markway.