South Carolina football: five players looking to make a jump in 2021

4. Jordan Burch

Burch played a good bit as a freshman, but he may be expected to take over in a starting role in 2021. A former five-star recruit, the defensive end racked up 19 tackles in eight games last year. Though he didn’t record a sack, Burch did tally 2.5 tackles behind the line of scrimmage, and he should see that number grow as a sophomore.

Burch will be part of a Gamecock pass rush that returns Aaron Sterling, JJ Enagbare, Zacch Pickens, and Rick Sandidge. The defensive line should be the strength of the South Carolina unit, and will hopefully mask some of the team’s deficiencies at linebacker and in the secondary.

Burch is uber talented, and could vie for all-conference honors in his second full season. Expect to see him on the field a lot for Clayton White’s defense, and look for the Columbia native to wreak havoc in opposing backfields very soon.

5. Cam Smith

Smith will be thrust into the position previously occupied by Jaycee Horn. Horn is now off to the NFL after being taken in the first round, leaving Smith as the team’s most experienced player in the cornerback room.

He saw an uptick in playing time last year, as both starting cornerbacks Horn and Israel Mukuamu opted out of the team’s final three games of the year. In those contests, Smith notched eight tackles and an interception. Despite being used in a reserve role for the majority of the year, he tied for the team lead in picks, with two. He’s definitely got a knack for finding the football, he just needs to limit allowing the big play.

If technique is improved, expect a big season from the corner. Smith has already been named as one of the SEC’s rising stars, and we may begin to see that in 2021.