South Carolina football: Gamecocks as Star Wars characters

BOBA FETT – KINGSLEY ENAGBARE

Boba Fett is the ultimate bounty hunter in the Star Wars saga, taking down enemies with reckless abandon. That’s exactly what Kingsley Enagbare will look to do to opposing quarterbacks. Enagbare led the Gamecock squad with six sacks and seven tackles for loss a season ago, and he’ll be looking for more victims in 2021.

Another similarity between Enagbare and Boba Fett are the ways in which they carry out their business. Both are quiet, letting their on-field performance do the talking. Enagbare is rarely flashy with choreographed celebrations. Instead, he takes a pat on the helmet and lines it up for the next play.

Enagbare was rated as college football’s top third down rusher in 2020. He’ll hope to keep that title in his final season.

OBI-WAN KENOBI

Obi-Wan wears many hats, and may be the most important piece to the Star Wars series. He begins as a Jedi hero, transforms into Luke Skywalker’s support system, is thrust to the desert, and, finally, returns home.

The journey is similar to that of new head coach Shane Beamer. Beamer, the son of legendary head coach Frank Beamer, seemed destined to lead a college football program. He actually coached under Steve Spurrier at South Carolina, leading the recruiting efforts for a team that won the school’s only SEC East title. He then ventured off to cities like Athens, Blacksburg, and Norman (we’re not referring to Oklahoma as a desert, but…) before ultimately returning to the South Carolina sidelines.

Now, we’ll hope that he doesn’t face the same fate as Obi-Wan, but Beamer’s leadership and loyalty are what earn him this comparison.