South Carolina football: Kingsley Enagbare ranked as nation’s 3rd best DE

More praise for South Carolina football’s JJ Enagbare.

South Carolina football is gearing up for its 2021 season, though there are many questions to be answered before the Gamecocks kick it off on September 4th. Most of those concerns come on the defensive side of the ball, where the team lost seven starters, with the majority having transferred out of the program. The losses left the Gamecocks with a thin secondary and linebacking corps, but they’ll hopefully get some help from what should be a strong defensive front.

One player that had the opportunity to pursue a professional career after the 2020 season, but ultimately opted to return for his senior year is defensive end Kingsley Enagbare. The pass rusher led the team in sacks as a junior, and will lead a front four that’s looking to make life difficult for opposing quarterbacks.

Enagbare has earned some high praise this offseason, having been mentioned by Pro Football Focus as the nation’s top rusher in third down situations, and even seeing his name pop up in the first round of 2022 NFL mock drafts.

On Thursday, Enagbare’s name was seen again, as the star end was named the nation’s third best player at the position entering the ’21 season.

The No. 3 ranking puts him ahead of some of the country’s most talented players, including Clemson’s Xavier Thomas, Purdue’s George Karlaftis, Missouri’s Trajan Jeffcoat, Kentucky’s Josh Paschal, and Georgia’s Nolan Smith.

Enagbare was an all-SEC performer last season, and finished second in the conference in quarterback takedowns. His presence on the defensive line will be imperative to the Gamecocks’ success as a unit, especially with the rest of the defense being so young. A strong pass rush could help mask deficiencies in the backend of the secondary, and that will begin with Enagbare.

He’s looking to finish his college career on a high note, and position himself nicely for an opportunity at the next level. The Georgia native has improved upon his sack count in each of his first three seasons. Another increase in production and we could see those first-round projections come true.