South Carolina football: Aaron Sterling is defense’s forgotten man

Who on the South Carolina football roster is being slept on?

South Carolina is entering year one of the Shane Beamer era, as the new head coach looks to guide the program back to relevance, and improve upon a two-win season in 2020. As the Gamecocks move closer to the start of the campaign, the coaching staff is still shuffling to find the best performers at each position.

On defense, players like Jordan Burch, JJ Enagbare, and Zacch Pickens will have all eyes on them, but there are a few forgotten players that will have major roles for the Gamecocks in 2021. Who on the roster will end up having a career season, even though nobody’s talking about them this offseason?

Our best guess is defensive lineman Aaron Sterling. The senior is looking to close out his tenure on a high note before pursuing a professional career. He’s been an extremely productive member of the South Carolina front four since 2017, having appeared in more than 30 games. Unfortunately, he seems to have been outshined by Enagbare, the Gamecocks’ reigning sack leader, and a talented incoming freshman class.

Why no one is talking about Sterling

Sterling actually led the unit in tackles for loss as a junior in 2019, and notched a share of the team lead in sacks alongside first-round selection Javon Kinlaw. His best campaign to date, the Georgia native tallied 10 takedowns behind the line of scrimmage and recorded six sacks. The performance was enough to garner preseason all-conference honors in 2020, but his year was cut short due to injury.

That injury caused him to lose a starting role along the defensive line, giving way to youngsters like Jordan Burch and Tonka Hemingway. Throw in the addition of transfer Jordan Strachan, who led the NCAA in sacks last season, and the defensive end room has become very crowded.

Why he will surprise in ’21

Sterling knows that this is his last chance to make an impact in Columbia. He’s been productive in the past, but as we mentioned, got lost in the shuffle following that season ending injury last year. While he may not overtake Enagbare and Burch in the starting lineup, the defensive line rotation is sure to rotate often as it’s the Gamecocks’ deepest group on the unit.

When on the field, Sterling has just found a knack for getting into opposing backfields. In 34 games, he’s notched 16.5 tackles for loss, and 9.5 sacks. Expect new defensive coordinator Clayton White to use his pass rushing abilities on third-downs and in obvious passing situations. Even in a reserve role, Sterling will have a major impact on the South Carolina defense.