South Carolina football: young players providing spark at key positions

Some freshmen on the South Carolina football team are earning more prominent roles.

The South Carolina football team isn’t off to the start it had planned in its 2020 season, dropping its first two matchups to SEC Eastern division foes. The Gamecocks have, at times, look disorganized, sloppy, and inconsistent, drawing the ire of the South Carolina fanbase.

Despite some of those struggles, Will Muschamp has seen some of his younger players stepping up at key positions. These freshmen are making impacts in their first seasons as Gamecocks, and in some cases, are outplaying their veteran teammates.

These freshmen range from being highly regarded five-star prospects to players that may have been overlooked for much of their time on the recruiting trail. Still, each has proven productive and they’re forcing the coaching staff to get them in the lineup.

Here are the youngsters making their presence known.

WR

At wideout, we saw Rico Powers catch his first pass of the season last week in the matchup with Florida. Looking for a spark at an unproven position, the staff gave Powers the nod over returning players like Dakereon Joyner and Josh Vann.

Powers played most of the second half, tallying two catches for a total of 19 yards. He should continue to be more involved as the season continues, especially if the wide receiver group continues to struggle with dropped passes. The Gamecocks need someone to step up and take some pressure off of Shi Smith.

Coming out of high school this past season, Powers was rated as a four-star prospect and the 230th best player in the country.

DL

The Gamecocks are deep at defensive line. In fact, it may be the most competitive position on the team with six upperclassmen in the two-deep rotation. Despite the experience among the group, two freshmen have come in and impressed coach Muschamp, which has resulted in increased playing time.

Jordan Burch and Tonka Hemingway have both made huge plays two games into their Gamecock careers.

Burch earned a spot in the lineup immediately, and currently ranks second on the team in tackles for loss. Two of the defensive end’s three total takedowns have come behind the line of scrimmage. Burch was considered a five-star player coming out of high school, and he’s certainly fitting the bill. Expect to see much more of him on the defensive line as the seasons continues.

Hemingway has been more of a pleasant surprise. He, too, was highly rated as a high schooler, but wasn’t expected to contribute quite this early with the depth and experience of players around him. But he’s been too good to keep off the field thus far.

In the Florida game, Hemingway made a game-changing hit on quarterback Kyle Trask, jarring the ball loose and causing a Gator turnover. He may start to leapfrog some older players on the depth chart if he continues his production.

TE

Tight end is a spot where the Gamecocks need a young player to step up. Senior Nick Muse is the starter, but there is mostly youth behind him. Last week, we saw freshman Keveon Mullins earn some playing time, as he recorded his first catch of the season, a nine-yard out route in the second half.

Mullins came to South Carolina in the class of 2019 as a four-star wide receiver, but he’s grown into the tight end spot after a year in the weight room. Now at 250-pounds, the athletic pass catcher should be able to cause mismatch issues for opposing defenses. He’ll be more heavily used as the season progresses.

Eric Shaw is another player who might start to earn some time in the rotation. The true freshman was one of the most highly regarded players in last year’s class, and he may have the highest ceiling of any of the 2020 recruits.

Unfortunately, he spent most of the offseason recovering from a knee injury that caused him to miss his final high school season. Rivals rated him as the 16th best tight end prospect in the nation, despite his missing the 2019 campaign.

Coach Muschamp has been chomping at the bit to get the youngster involved in the offense, and his time may soon be approaching.

DB

Shilo Sanders received a lot of playing time in last week’s matchup with the pass-happy Florida offense. And he didn’t disappoint.

The redshirt freshman tallied four tackles from his safety spot, and he may be moving up the depth chart following the poor play of defensive back RJ Roderick.

Shilo, the son of Hall of Famer Deion Sanders, arrived in Columbia with the 2019 class as a three-star prospect and the 42nd best cornerback in the nation.

On the season, Sanders has totaled five takedowns, and he may be in line for an increased role if the starting secondary continues to struggle.