South Carolina football: Five Gamecocks named preseason All-SEC
By Jacob Elsey
A handful of South Carolina football players were named to the preseason All-SEC team today.
Today, the preseason All-SEC teams were released, as voted on by the league’s 14 coaches, and five Gamecocks found their names on the list. Three players ended up on the second-team, in cornerback Israel Mukuamu, offensive lineman Sadarius Hutcherson, and defensive end Aaron Sterling. Two more ended up on the third-team, in defensive back Jaycee Horn and linebacker Ernest Jones.
The players on these teams may point to the Gamecocks having a pretty strong defensive unit, with four of the five selections playing on that side of the football. Mukuamu and Horn, in particular, should lead what could be one of the conference’s top secondaries, while Jones will be the leader in the middle of the defense for the second consecutive season.
Aaron Sterling gets some recognition after leading the team in sacks last year, while Hutcherson has been a stalwart on the offensive line for three years. Here’s a release from the South Carolina athletic department announcing the All-SEC team release.
"Five University of South Carolina players dot the 2020 Coaches’ Preseason All-SEC teams, the Southeastern Conference office announced on Thursday.The Gamecocks were represented by Sadarius Hutcherson, Israel Mukuamu and Aaron Sterling on the second team unit, and Jaycee Horn and Ernest Jones on the third-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, who is on the preseason Outland Trophy Watch List, is slated to be the Gamecocks’ starter at left guard, a position he has played extensively in his career.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 and Jim Thorpe Award preseason watch lists.Sterling, a 6-1, 245-pound senior defensive end from Atlanta, is coming off his best season as a Gamecock. He registered 40 tackles in 2019, including a team-high 10.0 tackles for loss, and 6.0 sacks, tying for 10th in the SEC. Over the last three seasons he has appeared in 33 games, making 15 starts, with 16.0 tackles for loss and 9.0 sacks.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.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.The Gamecocks will open the 2020 season on Saturday, Sept. 26, when they host the Tennessee Volunteers at Williams-Brice Stadium in Columbia. Game time is set for 7:30 pm ET and the contest will be televised on SEC Network."