South Carolina football: predicting statistical leaders for 2021 season

Defense

Tackles – Mo Kaba

Kaba will slide into the role previously occupied by Ernest Jones, who racked up 199 tackles in his three seasons with the Gamecocks. The linebacker should see the playing field a ton in 2021, and will be an important piece of the South Carolina defense.

His main task will be taking down ball carriers, which he was able to do 14 times in four games last year. Kaba began to see an uptick in playing time towards the end of the season, as a number of defenders opted out of the final three contests, and the previously mentioned Jones went down with an injury.

He averaged four tackles a game in those last three matchups, and will likely see that number grow in his sophomore campaign.

Interceptions – Cam Smith

Despite only making three starts, Smith tied Jaycee Horn and Israel Mukuamu for the team lead in interceptions. With the other two players off to the NFL, Smith will be able to showcase his abilities as a sophomore in 2021.

Smith seems to have a knack for finding the football, and has the potential to be one of the SEC’s best corners. Brad Crawford of 247 Sports recently tabbed the Blythewood native as a breakout player for the upcoming year, and he’s the leader in the clubhouse to take over as CB1.

With the rest of the secondary unsettled, we expect Smith to rise to the top of this category when things are said and done.

Sacks – JJ Enagbare

Enagbare is fresh off of a six-sack season, despite playing in only eight games. He is easily the team’s most dangerous pass rusher, and should compete for the conference lead in the category once again as a senior.

Enagbare has seen his playing time increase with each campaign, and finally found himself in a starting role last year. For his career, the Peach State native boasts 10.5 sacks and 17 tackles for loss. Pro Football Focus actually tabbed the defender as the nation’s top pass rusher in third down situations in 2021.

Another successful season for the end could lead to a first round selection in the next year’s NFL Draft.

Tackles for loss – Jordan Burch

Though Enagbare led the team in tackles for loss last year, we’re appointing a new leader in the category for 2021. Former five-star recruit Jordan Burch made an early impact as a freshman, racking up 19 tackles and 2.5 tackles behind the line of scrimmage in a reserve role. With a year of experience under his belt, and another season to adapt to playing in the SEC, we fully expect Burch to earn a starting role at defensive end.

While Burch may not have the pass rushing abilities of Enagbare at this stage in his career, the sophomore does have the size and speed to defend against the run. Though we don’t predict Burch to lead the team in sacks, we believe he’ll make a living in opposing backfields, and become a huge contributor on the South Carolina front four.