South Carolina football: 5 key players on the Gamecocks’ defense

4. Karon Prunty

Prunty is a transfer from Kansas that earned freshman All-America honors with the Jayhawks last season. He should now pair up with Cam Smith in the secondary to hopefully create what will be a lockdown duo at cornerback.

In Big XII action last season, Prunty recorded 26 tackles, a pick, and a forced fumble. He held opposing receivers to just a 38% catch rate, which ranked seventh in all of college football. He also broke up 10 passes and didn’t allow a touchdown in coverage. If Prunty and Smith can have big seasons, we could see a huge jump from a secondary that gave up 256 yards per game in 2020.

5. Sherrod Greene

Greene is the most experienced player on the Gamecocks’ defense, and he plays at a position of need. The linebacker group is thin at the moment, but Greene can offer experience, production, and leadership in the middle of the defense. The redshirt senior has made 25 career starts, but will be returning from a season ending injury suffered in game one of the 2020 season.

Greene’s sophomore season was his best as the linebacker racked up 73 tackles, an interception, a fumble recovery, and a defensive touchdown. He saw a drop in action in year three, but still managed 35 takedowns and a career-high 6.5 tackles for loss. Greene should see a ton of time in the linebacker rotation. The Gamecocks are hoping for a big senior year.